A Shot at Normalcy: University Life?
by Devil-Incarnate
Summary: Ch 20 up! Jade's past revealed...but is it the whole story? or just a part of the bigger picture? How is trowa going to deal with his newly discovered fellings for her? please read and review
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

**Note:** This is my first fic and I don't know how it has turned out to be. Please review. And say so if you think this is the most horrible fic you have ever read! I promise the later chapters will be better, if u help me by reviewing. Love, Devil^_^

**Chapter 1**

He came back home after a tiring day. He put down his coat and looked around his apartment; a one room kitchen affair, furnished with only the bare necessities. He settled down in front of his laptop and thought about the day's events.

_"We don't care if you were a Gundam pilot or not Mr. Yuy.  What we need here are certified computer software specialists, not soldiers. Now if you will please excuse me."_

            Today was the same as yesterday and the day before that... and the day before that. The peace that he had fought so hard for somehow did not suit him. It was exactly 2 years and 5 months since the Marimaia incident. He, who had spent his entire life training for war, he who had lived a soldier's life, was not quite used to living a NORMAL life like other people.

            He was looking through all the letters and the accompanying clutter that he had received that day. While browsing through some of the papers, he happened to look at a university brochure. He then remembered asking about university admissions to a school secretary. She must have sent them. He read over them and in a low voice said to himself, "I guess its time for me to learn how to live a normal life. Peacecraft University, here I come." 

            Since the end of war, every one of the pilots had gone their different ways. He decided to live on earth, the colony would bring back memories, memories that he rather not remember. _'I wonder how the others are doing', he thought._

            He was to meet Hilde at 4.00 pm in the afternoon. He remembered the conversation from the morning. He had called her, but they didn't talk much. She was in a hurry it seemed.

_"Scbheiker here."___

_"Hi! Duo here, babe!_

_"Oh! Hi! ... But bye! I have to go."_

_"Hey! What's the hurry?"_

_"Just have to go somewhere, I'll meet you at __4.00 pm__ at Café Chrome, 'k? I have something to tell you."_

_"….but…"_

_"Bye, I have to go. Love ya!"_

She sounded excited. What was it all about? Well, he would have to wait and find out.

            It was already 4.00 pm and she was late as usual. Suddenly,

"Hey Duo!" He turned around and there she was, dark blue eyes looking back at him from under short black hair.

"Hi there", he bent down and  greeted her with a light kiss on the lips. 

"What was all the hurry about in the morning?"

"Yes, I wanted to tell you about it. I am planning to join University."

"What?!?!"

"I had to get the applications. I got one for you too."

"You are serious, aren't you?" he gave her a shocked look, though his eyes looked amused. "What exactly gave you this bright idea anyway?"

"A friend suggested I start learning more if I had nothing better to do with my life."

"Who is this friend of yours?"

"Oh! Don't you worry about that, wise guy!"

"Ok! But why ME?" he asked in an exasperated way. He was really getting worried now.

"What are you doing anyways?" she asked not noticing his state.

"Lots of things", he answered looking for a way out.

"Like?"

"Like….umm….like…you know…like," his voice dropping with every "like". "…like…eating and sleeping?" he finally managed to blurt out.

"That doesn't count. What about a job? I know you don't have one. So don't even try to go there. Your money isn't going to last you forever, you know?" she asked, looking very serious.

"Hey! That's what you are for, right?" he told her with a bright grin.

Hilde was not impressed. And I mean seriously not impressed. "DUO MAXWELL, YOU ARE THE STUPIDEST, MOST ANNOYING PERSON I HAVE MET!" her voice seemed to rise with every word, her fists clenched at her sides.

"But you still like me." He was still grinning at her, completely unfazed by her sudden outburst.

"Stop smiling like that you idiot!"

"OK! OK! Stop shouting like that. Calm down. I was only kidding." He said in barely a whisper, trying to soothe his irate girlfriend.

After a long long time, and many such arguments later, where somehow or other Duo was the one who let off the bomb.

"Come to think of it, it's not such a bad idea after all," he said.

'Good', she thought.  'He is finally getting serious'

"I wanted to learn more about mechanics. I am good at it and I can learn more about software too." He said seriously

"So you are coming?" she asked hesitantly.

"Did I say that?"

"DUO!"

"The Circus isn't doing that well, is it?"

"No, not many people in the audience," the third Gundam pilot replied.

"How long do you think the circus will survive?"

"Not long. It seems people have found other means of entertainment."

"I heard the old man say, we might have to shut down sooner than we expected... Another circus might take me. What about you? Are you planning to join another circus troupe?" Catherine was hoping he would stay with her.

"No, I think not. I am tired of acting the clown."

"Then what will you do?"

"I don't know. Probably continue with my education...."

"You want to study Trowa? Why?" She was a bit surprised. She never thought Trowa would want to study. But then again, what did she know about the mysterious boy that she had cared for as a surrogate younger brother?

"So that I can do something else", he answered mater-of-factly.

"But where will you go? You need certain pre-requisites to get into university."

"You never know until you try, do you? And my soldier status counts, or rather ex-soldier status in that university, the one that the Peacecrafts set up a long time and which was handed down to Relena. I can try there."

"I can try for mechanics and psychology. I already know the basics."

'I hope the psychology will help me understand what exactly is amnesia,' he thought inwardly.

"Amber, they don't trust me.  All these feelings being bombarded upon me, it tires me out. Moreover, I don't know what I am going to do if I meet with opposition everywhere." Quatre was really exhausted with trying to run the large Winner Empire. He was determined to talk it out with his elder sister. He would have liked to talk to Iria, but she was busy with her hospital and moreover, Amber was the one who handled much of the business transactions and she was his eldest sister. She would help him.

"What you need little brother, is a bit of guidance."

"Huh?" 

"You can't let your gift become your curse. There are very few people with emphatic abilities like yours. You need to learn how to control this ability and not let it overwhelm you."

"And how do I do that?"

"Simple, find someplace that teaches you how to do that. You could try some university that has a special faculty for empaths like you." Quatre was still processing this new information when, "And yes, while you are about it, you could also learn more about business, so that people will not doubt your judgment so much."

"Which university do you suggest? There are not many places that offer such options and moreover, I never completed my schooling." He said dejectedly. He would have really liked to use his abilities to the fullest. He was busy brooding when amber spoke up again.

"Neither did so many others who were busy retaliating against or fighting for OZ."

"So you mean I can still get into university?"

"Maybe... not many, but I do know about one where you can surely get in. They have this policy about helping people affected by war lead normal lives; learn more and something else that I cannot remember now. Peacecraft I think. You could ask Rashid to pick up the forms for you."

"Thanks a lot, sis!" That's all he could say. He was too happy to day anything more.

======================================================

Note: This is my first fic. So please review. Even if u think its horrible and I would greatly appreciate tips on making it better and ideas, too. And if you are wondering what happened to Wufei, he makes his appearance in the fic a bit later on. Hope you like it. With luv, Devil ^_^


	2. The first letter

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

**Chapter 2:The First Letter**

Ever since he had submitted the forms, he was waiting eagerly for a letter from the University people. After about 2 months, he had almost forgotten about it. He was back from his afternoon of job hunting. As usual he picked up the stack of letters and papers that came in the mail for him. He could not help thinking, why anybody would send him all these letters and papers. While he was browsing through that stack, a thick off-white coloured envelope caught his eye. It was addressed specifically to him. It was from the university people. For the first time in his life, he was afraid that he might have been rejected and the perfect soldier showed slight traces of nervousness. "Cut it out," he told himself.

            He carefully opened the envelope and was shocked at what was written in there. He had expected something different. He read the letter to himself:

_To the afore mentioned individual,_

_Peacecraft__ _University___ has special courses offered for the people affected by war. Soldiers fall into that category as well …   _

Blah, Blah, Blah__

_Since you have not specified if you have the pre-requisites for the courses that you have applied for, we request you to go through an entrance examination. The results of this entrance examination will decide if you are eligible to apply for the courses of your choice. The exam will consist of both practicals and theory. This examination will be held on Saturday, July 17th at __9.30 am_ and you will receive the results of this examination by July 31st. Please be on time.__

Blah, Blah, Blah…_Thanking you, for __Peacecraft__ _University___._

He could not make out the signature. The name said Ms. Strauss, but the signature looked strangely like a random scribble.

He looked at the calendar. Today was June 20th, only about another month or so. He was glad he had chosen information technology and mechanics as his major subjects. He was an expert in these fields. His soldier training had taught him that. Only thing he had to worry about was the theory. He decided to drop by at the local library and pick up a few E-books and CDs on Computer Programming and mechanics. 

__________________________________________________________

Somewhere else Duo had also received the same letter. Only in his case, he was a bit more nervous. He was going to meet his girlfriend at their usual meeting place again today. And surprisingly she was early, absolutely not like her. He went and sat down beside her. They were just chatting casually, when Hilde noticed that Duo was not cracking any jokes or trying to annoy her. That was definitely un – Duo – like behaviour. She was thinking about this when Duo suddenly spoke up.

"Did you get the letter?"

She was a bit taken aback by this question.

"Which letter? You mean the one from the University people?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"So what did your letter say?"

That was the 2nd shock. It was highly unlikely for Duo to ask such questions. He actually seemed serious for once.

"Nothing much. I have to go and give some sort of a stupid entrance test coz I could not complete my studies 'coz of the war."

"So what are you going to do?" He was still behaving in an odd manner.

"I don't know. Maybe just borrow a few E-books and CDs. But… Hey! Why are you so worried? You didn't even want to go there in the first place."

"Well, I did not, but now I want to," he pouted adorably.

"Don't worry, you will do just fine. I'll help you if you want," she offered.

He relaxed visibly. 

"Thanks," he said it in almost a whisper.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Trowa received the same letter. Only he wasn't so worried. He was sure somehow that he would get in. But he decided to brush up on his knowledge of certain subjects anyways.

 His life wasn't getting along too well. There were lesser people in the circus audience everyday. And moreover, it was the same people who came to watch their circus again and again. He could almost always recognise a few familiar faces from the crowd. One face never failed to catch his attention. There was this girl that he saw seated in the audience everyday, at the very back. Though he could not see her face very clearly, since she sat so far back, it somehow seemed to him that she was not there to entertain herself. She would always leave before the entire circus performance was over.

And he had expected Catherine to help him and back him up, but on the contrary, she was trying to discourage him from going to University. He would do better if he did not show her the letter.

"What will you do without your 'fun and games'?" she had asked jokingly once, but he sensed that her question held a more serious tone. More like, 'are you ready to leave me so readily?' or 'Did the time you spent with the circus mean nothing to you?'

"Oh! Don't worry! I'll find other means of entertainment." This would be is patented reply.

  The mail people had trouble finding him; their circus was always on the move. He got the letter on July 2nd. There wasn't much time to take serious efforts anyways. But he was still lucky. He did not have to pack his bags soon. The circus would be visiting the town the day he had his examination. He had only to worry about what would happen after that. He decided to find out where they would be on July 31st. so that he could give the University people the correct address.

"I wonder if they can notify me by e-mail. It would be much better than the old-fashioned letter." He wondered why he hadn't thought of it earlier. 'Note to self: ask the person there if they can notify you via e-mail.'

____________________________________________________________________________________

Quatre was a happy man. The day he filled out the forms and sent them, he got his precious books and was well on the way of finishing his studies the day he got his letter.

            "Well, well, well. So I have to give an entrance examination after all," he said to himself. He wasn't in the least bit worried. Amber had done well to take on his business responsibilities while he busied himself with studies. He was feeling much better with no extra feelings to bother him. 

Somehow he felt that the Winner Empire would be better off without him for the time being. He found himself thinking about the times he spent with his pilot friends. Somehow he missed those times.

'Well, if I make it to University, I will stay on campus. It's been a while since I have lived like a normal person without all the people attending to me and my needs.' 

He knew his sisters would not allow him to do anything of the sort, so he decided not to tell them about it till the last moment. The letter seemed to distract him. He was thinking more and more about how his life would be at the University. He would have really liked it if the other Gundam pilots would be there.

'But why would they want to go to university,' he thought. 'I bet they are doing just fine. I hope I will be able to make new friends. Not that I have had trouble socialising, but it's just that the entire crowd will be different.' His train of thought continued and by now he had forgotten about his book. He was absently staring at the same page for about fifteen minutes. It was quite a while before his attention returned to his current surroundings.

'Why am I even thinking about it? I still have to even give the entrance examination!'

====================================================================================

NOTE: And that's all for the 2nd chapter. I think the 3rd chapter will be a bit longer. 

Sorry about the chapters being so short and all, but I am seriously not much of a writer.  And a special thanks for CardMistress Sakura for beta-ing this chapter and the first one. Please Review. And keep reading, the further chapters should be better. Love, Devil ^_^


	3. The Entrance Examination

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

**Chapter 3: The Entrance Examination**

_July 16th_

Heero wanted to see the University campus. He still hadn't decided if he wanted to live on campus or rent an apartment off campus. He had arrived a day earlier to get a feel of the place. 

The University campus was pretty big and so was the university building. As a matter of fact, there were about seven big buildings. The University Building was the biggest. Big would be an understatement; the building was a monster. He figured the rest of the buildings would be living quarters or something of the sort. They could not be faculty buildings because the brochure said the main building housed all the faculties. And by the size of it, it was very much possible.

 The whole place had the air of some ancient castle, though it was pretty pleasant. The grounds were humungous and were covered with lush grass. It was amazing how well preserved this place was even though it was just a few miles out of town. After walking around the grounds and looking around, he decided it would be better to get a place on campus. He wondered what the conditions for living on campus were.

________________________________________________________________

_July 17th_

Heero entered the building at 8.30 am. The lady at the front desk directed him to a wall practically papered with printed lists. He was a bit surprised at the number of lists posted on that single wall. He wondered if they were all the names of people writing the entrance examination. He looked at the first one, it was not the list that he needed. After browsing through most of them his eyes finally landed on the list that had the names of people writing the entrance examination and the required info. i.e. room number, number of exams, theory or practicals, time, etc…He knew that his name would be at the end of the list, the end of the 2nd  list to be precise, since the names were in alphabetical order. But he couldn't resist going through the entire just. While he was reading, he spotted the name 'Barton, Trowa'. His mouth stretched into a slight smirk. He was reading further down when he also spotted the name 'Maxwell, Duo'.

 "Surprise, surprise…What do we have here? Two Gundam pilots, No! Three Gundam pilots at the same place, same time? Interesting!" He said to himself his smirk stretching itself into an almost smile. 

He was now reading the second list when he got another pleasant surprise. It was the name 'Winner, Quatre Raberba'. It had been a long time since he had seen any of them. He was trained to be independent, but he couldn't help missing his friends. It was the first time that he had actually made friends with anyone.

"Well, well, well…now that makes four of us at the…."

"Hey! Look who's here!"

That voice. It was unmistakable. It had to be Duo Maxwell. 

Heero's smile had now developed into a full-fledged grin. He slowly turned back.

"Duo!"

And there he was, with his long braid dressed in black, looking at him with his blue eyes and his trademarked grin. He hadn't changed. He had that same carefree air about him. But he had grown quite a bit in the last two years.

"Who else? Nice to see that you remember me, dude. It's been a while since we met. You here to write the Test or whatever it is?"

The grin vanished abruptly and was replaced with the regular scowl. He resumed his analysis of the list.

He joined Heero at the wall papered with lists and bent down to find his name on the list that Heero was looking at. He saw Trowa's name on the list.

"Looks like we have another Gundam pilot joining us," Duo said while still looking at the list.

"We have two," was the reply from Heero.

 "So we have Quatre, too, I see," He still was not looking up from the list.

Meanwhile, Heero found his name on the list. He had to give the mechanics theory first and had to go to room no. 1311. He picked up a book on the desk that was supposed to have maps. Room# 1250 to 1450 were situated in the Right Wing. Room# 1311 was in the right wing, on the fourth storey.

"I have to go to room 1311. What about you?" Duo asked still looking at the lists.

Heero was spared the trouble of answering.

"Let's go. You are writing in the same room as mine." He was still looking at those printed sheets of paper. "As a matter of fact, all the people that are writing their mechanics theory are supposed to be in that room. Trowa will be joining us if he is not already there."

He finally looked up and they started of towards the right wing. They were almost at the end of the corridor, when Duo stopped in mid stride.

"Oh Hell! I was supposed to wait for Hilde at the Front Desk!"

He turned around as abruptly as he had stopped leaving Heero where he was. Fortunately for him, he did not have to go far. He saw Hilde starting down the corridor.

"Hey babe, you won't believe who I met!" Duo's voice drifted down the corridor to meet Heero's ears.

"Who?"

He kissed her in the usual fashion and replied with a grin.

"Mr. Grump King himself." He turned around and flashed Heero his grin and gave him a thumbs up.

Hilde looked at him and waved.

"We are writing our first 'Entrance Examination' in the same room. Mechanics. Theory," he informed her.

"First? You never told me you applied for more than one subject," she chided him.

He laughed nervously. "Heh, heh… you see, I applied for mechanics and computer programming. The programming is only practicals. It's in the afternoon."

She still looked a bit angry, "So are you leaving now?"

"I guess I'd better leave, before the perfect soldier pulls out his gun and shoots me down for keeping him waiting for so long. I will meet you for lunch outside,'k?"

He was about to leave when she said something that Heero couldn't quite make out.  He winked at her and set off towards Heero.

Watching the exchange between Duo and Hilde had stirred something within him. He found himself thinking of Relena. He had saved her quite a few times; he wasn't sure what he felt for her though. She was now the vice-foreign minister. She had grown into a fine young woman. She was strong. She had always been. His scowl darkened thinking about her. But this was because he was confused about his own feelings for the Vice Foreign Minister. He was to kill her, but he never could. As a matter of fact he had saved her life when he wasn't supposed to.

Duo reached the place where Heero was waiting for him. The started of towards their Exam room. Duo, as usual, was busy talking, either to Heero or to himself. But to Heero, Duo's voice was lost among the other numerous voices, just another noise in the background.

"As silent as ever! Helloooo? You listening to me?" Duo was now practically yelling at him.

Duo's Voice jarred Heero back to reality. He looked up at Duo and said in his usual voice. "Yeah! I am listening."

"So buddy what was it that I just said?" Duo asked with a mock scowl.

"Forget it, we are here," said Heero pointing towards the classroom door.

Inside the classroom, they had another surprise waiting for them. Trowa Barton was sitting in one of the middle rows in his usual outfit, usual when he was not dressed as a clown that is. 

"So we meet again!" he said with a smile, his intense green eyes boring into them. "It is a small world after all."

Apparently they were the last people to enter the classroom. The examination started about five minutes later. It was pretty easy. Heero had no trouble at all and neither did Duo or Trowa. Duo was beginning to whistle in the middle of the examination when the supervisor and a few other students glared at him. It took him a while to realise what was going on and why people were glaring at him.

"Whoops! Sorry! I guess I shouldn't be whistling." He laughed nervously and resumed his writing.

Heero who was watching Duo smiled to himself. Trowa gave a small shake of his head, smirked and resumed his writing.

________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile,

"Oh my God! I must be late; the examination must have already started."

You guessed it. It was Quatre. His private shuttle had encountered difficulties before they took off. His departure was delayed. He was worried that he would be late. As a matter of fact he was late. It was 9.45 am. He hurried to the front desk. The lady there directed him to the same wall to which she had directed so many this morning.

"I Think I should put up a notice board saying that list is up on that wall, right over my head," she muttered to herself.

Quatre mumbled his thanks and apologies and hurried over to 'the wall'. 

He found his name pretty quickly. He had the sense to look under 'W'. Since he was late, he did not bother going through the entire list, the way the other two Gundam pilots had. He was annoyed and relieved at the same time.

"I don't have to write any exam until 11.00 am. Why didn't they inform me about it? Moreover, I don't even have to give an entrance exam to get into the faculty for empaths." 

He was reading and muttering to himself at the same time.

"Hey! Why do I have to write a psychology entrance exam? I didn't even apply for psychology. And we have business at 1.00 pm and then all I have to do is wait for the results." 

He smiled to himself and went over to the front desk. 

"I'm sorry to bother you again, but could you please explain me something?"

The lady looked up at him; she appeared to be pretty annoyed. It must be tiring to entertain a thousand and one questions everyday.

He smiled at her and asked her why he had to write a psychology entrance test and why was there no test for empaths.

She looked exasperated and finally turned to face him. He could sense that she was not too glad to be disturbed from whatever she was busy doing. He felt kind of bad for annoying her. She informed him that if he took psychology, it would help him in his training to harness his emphatic abilities and that this test was just to evaluate how many of aspects of psychology he was familiar with. It would not count against him. He would be admitted to the emphatic faculty anyway.

He thanked her and decided to take a tour of the grounds.

He went outside and stood in front of the main entrance. The building was huge. It was a monster. He was in such a hurry a few minutes back, he had not taken time to marvel at the size of the building. Now that he looked at it, he realised how big it was and how beautiful. It reminded him of the paintings of the ancient gothic castles in his father's study in their mansion on the L4 Colony.

Somehow, he found himself thinking of his pilot friends again. Something at the back of his mind was telling him that he would be meeting his friends soon. But he was too enthralled by the beauty of the place to pay much attention to his other thoughts.

He walked around the grounds for a while. He found the place absolutely beautiful. While walking about, he had already made up his mind to live in a rented apartment near the university or if possible on the University campus itself. He wondered if the other buildings were living quarters. He turned back to go towards the main building to ask the lady at the front desk about living on campus, but then decided against it. He didn't want to bother her again and moreover, he could ask about it later, when his admission was confirmed. He decided to walk around till 10.45 am. Fifteen minutes should be enough for him to get to the appropriate room. It was 10.30 am now.

________________________________________________________________

At 10.30 am the Entrance exam for Mechanics ended and Duo jumped out of his seat and started towards the door. He met his two friends at the door.

"So guys, how was the "Examination"? He asked, making quotation marks when he said the word 'Examination'.

"Fine," Heero answered, his face showing no change.

"The answers are always easy if you know what you are doing." Typical Trowa.

"How did you do?" Heero asked Duo.

"Piece of cake Bud!" 

Heero and Trowa looked at each other and smirked. That was Duo for you.

"Do you have anything else? Or was this the only exam?" Trowa asked both Duo and Heero.

As usual, it was Duo who answered first.

"We have a Computer programming exam at 11.00 am and then we have practicals at one in the afternoon."

"We?" Trowa inquired.

"It seems Duo and I have chosen the same subjects. So I guess we have our exams together."

"What about you Trowa?" It was Duo who asked this question.

"I have to give another test for psychology and then I meet up with you guys again for the practicals."

"So we have another twenty minutes before the next exam," said Heero glancing at his watch.

Duo immediately cast his friends a pleading glance when his stomach rumbled signalling Duo that it was time he paid attention to it.

"Can we go and get something to eat first? Boy am I hungry!"

"I thought you were to meet Hilde for lunch?" Heero asked his friend.

"So you and Hilde finally started going out?" Trowa asked.

"Well, yeah. And yeah, I have to meet her for lunch. You guys coming?"

"No, I guess we will leave you love birds alone. I take it you have some things to discuss," Heero said, a grin suddenly lighting his features.

Duo laughed nervously,"Well, thanks guys. See you later. And now for some food."

Duo turned back towards the cafeteria, while Heero and Trowa walked ahead, towards the main stairway, where they would have to part for the time being.

________________________________________________________________

Both were, by nature, non talkative individuals and were walking silently, both thinking their own thoughts. It was Trowa who broke his silence first.

"What have you been doing since we last met?"

"Job hunting. Trying to lead a normal life," Heero answered gruffly.

Trowa smirked. Heero was still the same old Heero.

"Why the University?" Trowa asked again.

"Apparently the people, who will employ me, need to see qualifications," Heero informed him. But Trowa sensed that there was more to the matter than just that.

"Just that?" Trowa asked. His voice clearly conveying his disbelief.

Heero was not used to being asked such questions.

"Hn?" was the reply.

"Just that?" Trowa asked again.

Heero just shrugged and answered again.

"And to try and live like a normal person, not like a soldier."

Trowa smiled satisfactorily.

"But what about you? Why do you want to join University," Heero asked. His tone suggested that he wanted a fair exchange – information for information.

Trowa stole a sidelong glance at Heero and answered.

"The circus is shutting down."

"Just that?" Heero asked, exactly mimicking Trowa.

Trowa smiled at him.

"Mostly that and also I was tired of the circus. Kept reminding me of the war." He knew that there was another reason, but he did not feel like telling anybody about it.

Heero sensed the note of finality in Trowa's voice and decided not to pursue the subject. He did not feel like talking anyway.

They finally reached the main stairway and after a slight exchange of words, Heero started to go down the stairs to go to the computer lab on the second storey, while Trowa started to climb up, to the fifth storey. Neither of them felt like taking the elevator.

________________________________________________________________

            Heero did not know what he was going to do after reaching the Computer lab. May be just wait for Duo to show up or if the computer lab was open, he would do some "programming" of his own. He was not worried about getting into the University. He could always alter the results in his favour. He had done that before.

            As a matter of fact, the Computer lab was open and he was allowed to go in and use one of the machines. The machines were not the latest, but were functional. He sat down in front of one of the computers and started the machine. He was busy going through all the files and networks. It was no trouble at all. They hardly had any security. And the number of backdoors was simply too many. He could easily hack into this system. If the best people here could do nothing to fix it, he was sure that the programming exam would be a piece of cake. He and Duo would have no trouble at all in acing the test. He smiled inwardly at this and continued with his favourite pastime.

            "So I see you have already started your tinkering."

Yep, that's right. It was Duo again, standing right behind Heero. Duo always managed to sneak up on almost anyone without making a noise. Once again he had come up behind Heero without making a sound. Heero continued with his 'tinkering' and said, "The exam should be starting in 5 minutes."

"Yep, you are right. Here come the others. Not many people I see." Duo was now watching the people who entered the room soon after him. Not more than nine people altogether, including them.

"The exam is going to be a piece of cake, don't worry," Heero said to him, shutting down his computer before the supervisor entered the room.

"Who's worried, we can always make things turn in our favour," Duo had turned to 

Heero and his eyes held a mischievous grin.

Heero thought, 'are you thinking what I am thinking?' with a small smirk. He received a nod as an answer and the both burst out laughing.

Almost all the people including the supervisor, who was explaining certain rules and regulations about using the computers, glared at the pair.

Their laughing ceased, but the two were still smiling. Duo noticed that a genuine smile totally changed Heero's expression. His face literally lit up.

"So I see you are human after all. You can laugh too," said Duo after he had stopped laughing.

"Hn." 

This was nothing new to Heero. Duo had called him a machine on more than one occasion.

They both turned their attention to the supervisor, who was now telling them about the questions that they had to answer, or rather the programs that they had to create and languages that they had to decode.

After a while, they got their own individual set of 'questions' and they started their computers and began their task.

Heero was done his list in about half an hour and so was Duo.

Heero murmured, "Mission Accomplished." And received a whispered reply from Duo.

"Roger that Buddy."

They both looked at each other and smiled.

Duo was beginning to whistle again when he received another glare from the supervisor.

"Whoops! Sorry again."

He then busied himself with his long hair, while Heero just closed his eyes and sat there in complete silence. 

________________________________________________________________

Trowa walked up the flight of stairs and was making his way towards the Examination room, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Trowa? Is that you?"

Trowa smiled and turned around to face the person who had questioned him.

"Yes Quatre, it is me."

"It's so nice to see you again. I wanted to meet you guys so badly. Guess I won't be meeting the others but I am so glad to see you." He was genuinely happy. He really wanted to meet his friends.

"It's nice to see you too, Quatre. And don't worry you will be meetings the others soon." Trowa was happy to see his friend too.

"You mean others are here too?"

"Everyone except for Wufei."

"So you are here to write the exam for psychology?"

"Yes."

"I did not apply for psychology, but they put me in automatically when I applied for the emphatic faculty."

"So is this the only exam that you have?" Trowa asked.

"No, I have to give one for business at one." He sounded a bit dejected. "Amber said it would be better if I got a degree in business, it would help me gain people's trust back home."

"So your emphatic abilities are troubling you again."

"Yes, that's why I decided to come to university in the first place. I needed help with this."

They entered the class and took their seats. The exam started soon after the supervisor entered.

The exam was pretty easy for Trowa. There was question regarding amnesia. He smiled, he had sufferred from it. The rest of the questions were pretty easy too. His last minute revision had helped him quite a bit.

The questions were not that easy for Quatre but he managed to answer most of them. Even though his first exam was not as easy as he would have liked it to be, he was still very happy. The thought of meeting his friends again and seeing them again after almost 2 years made him look forward to the end of the examination.

________________________________________________________________

Duo and Heero were sitting in the Computer lab waiting for their stupid exam to finish. As soon as the supervisor signalled the end of the exam, Heero and Duo picked up their disks and handed it to the supervisor with their personal bio. 

After they were done, both of them started off towards the exit.

"Next mission: To meet Trowa and go finish of the Practicals," Duo said.

"Mission accepted."

Together they climbed the two flights of stairs to the fourth storey where they would meet Trowa.

________________________________________________________________

            Their psychology exam was soon over and after handing in the papers, Quatre rushed over to meet Trowa. Trowa was waiting for Quatre for at the door. 

            "So where are you meeting the others?" Quatre asked eagerly.

"Down on the Fourth storey. We have our practicals together."

"Oh Good! Then I can meet them before my business exam."

"Where is it?"

"Down on the third storey. I was planning on taking the elevator, but since you are walking, I'll walk too."

            Trowa and Quatre reached the fourth storey before Duo and Heero.

            Duo and Heero found Trowa and Quatre waiting for them.

            "Hey Quatre man! Nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too Duo," He said with a smile and then turned to Heero. "And you too Heero."

"Hn." But Heero was smiling all the same.

"We still have half an hour before tackling the next mission, so why don't we go get a bite to eat."

"Mission?" Quatre asked with a confused look on his face.

"You already stuffed yourself." Heero was talking to Duo.

"Oh nothing! Apparently Duo is calling the exam a mission." Trowa informed Quatre.

"But I am hungry. All the typing has made me hungry." Duo was replying to Heero.

"Oh! Heh, heh." Quatre was beginning to giggle and Trowa was smiling.

"Hey what are you two smiling about?" Heero and Duo asked in unison.

"Nothing, Lets go." Trowa replied with a smile still on his face. "I am hungry too."

That made Heero realise something, 'Come to think of it, I haven't had anything to eat either,' he thought. And as a response, his stomach growled. "OK, let's go."

________________________________________________________________

All four of them headed towards the Cafeteria.  They were just about to find a seat and sit down when Hilde caught up with Duo. She had Dorothy alongside her. 

"Hey Duo! You wanted to know who encouraged me to do this, right?" She asked catching up to him and his three friends.

"So this is your friend, Dorothy!" said Duo in disbelief.

"Miss Dorothy!" Quatre whispered to himself.

"What was that?" Trowa asked him.

"Oh! Nothing, nothing." Quatre blushed slightly.

Heero who was watching Quatre smiled to himself.

In the meantime, Duo and Hilde were talking about something. Heero and Trowa decided to go and get something to eat. Quatre followed soon after and Duo started off after them after he was done talking with Hilde.

They all came back with their plates and settled down to eat. It is needless to say that Duo's plate was piled the highest.

Before he started eating, he turned to Dorothy and asked, "What made you convince Hilde to join University?" and he started stuffing himself.

Dorothy looked at him for a while and then replied mischievously.

"Anything to make your life a bit worse Duo!"

"Thns…youhepedme…distim." Duo answered his mouth still filled with food.

"What's he trying to say?" She looked around the table hoping somebody would enlighten her on what Duo just said. Everybody just shrugged their shoulders.

Duo swallowed with a loud gulp and said, "I was thanking you Dorothy, because now I do want to get into University."

"Damn!" she said with a grin.

"Duo you should not speak while eating." Quatre really did not like Duo's table manners.

Duo who was stuffing himself again, looked up and with his mouth still full started speaking.

Quatre was getting ready to tell Duo again not to talk with his mouth full when Heero spoke up. "Don't bother. He isn't going to change"

Quatre sat back down with a sigh.

When everyone was done, Quatre glanced at his watch.

"Guys…We better get going, or we'll be late."

"Ok."

"Ok"

"Ok."

"Hn."

"Fine."

This time they decided to take the elevator. Dorothy, Quatre and Hilde got off on the third storey, while the other three proceeded to the fourth storey.

________________________________________________________________

It so happened that Dorothy and Hilde were writing the Examination in the same room as Quatre. This exam was pretty easy for Quatre. He knew everything, it was imprinted in his memory and he did like strategy and planning. 'If only the people back home would learn to trust my decisions,' he thought to himself. 

Overall, this exam was pretty easy and he was eager to meet his friends again. So he was eager for the exam to be over. And he had to ask about living on campus, too. 

'I wonder if the others are planning on living on campus as well,' he thought.

________________________________________________________________

            The other three were busy with their mechanics practicals and Duo was thoroughly enjoying it. The others were finding the exam easy enough. Repairing and maintaining their own Gundams had taught them how to deal with machines. 

            "No problem guy, I am getting into this class, no sweat," Duo was speaking to himself and continued whistling.

Heero and Trowa looked at Duo and then at each other and smiled. Both of them continued with their work. They were done pretty soon. Duo finished first. Heero and Trowa finished soon after.

When their work was assessed, the left the room and were heading towards the stairs.

"How about a little race guys?" Duo asked turning to Heero and Trowa. He was grinning.

"Let's go." Heero said. He was beginning to smile to.

"You're on." Trowa was getting ready to start.

And they started all at once. It was a bit difficult to run down the stairs with people on them, but these guys managed to find their way down the stairs anyways. They were down on the third storey when, Duo felt a sharp tug on his braid and was jerked back. He crashed down.

"Hey! Ooww! Watch it." He yelled, trying to get up and look at the culprit.

Meanwhile, Trowa and Heero stopped midway and turned around to see what was going on. Both of them started laughing at the sigh that they beheld.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, Duo Maxwell?" There she was. Hilde. Standing behind Duo with his braid in her arm.

Duo was still ticked off. "You did not have to pull my braid for that. You almost scalped me. And we were having a race and thanks to you I am going to lose," He said pointing at the stairs. He saw Hilde's expression. She was staring at something. He turned around to look at where he was pointing and there they were. The two Gundam pilots, Heero and Trowa, both supporting each other and laughing like crazy.

"Hey what are you two laughing about? What's so funny about it?" Duo asked, turning a bit red.

The two laughing bakas climbed the stairs up to where the two love birds were standing. 

"That was hilarious…Former Gundam pilot… master of stealth…attacked from behind…by his girl friend!" Trowa managed to gasp out between laughs.

"And by the way…She still has your braid," Heero, who was the first to recover, said with a grin.

"Oh! Sorry!" Hilde let go of Duo's braid, as though it stung her and blushed a bright pink.

Duo was feeling highly uncomfortable .He was looking for a way to change the subject.

"Where's Quatre? Where's Dorothy?"

"Oh they are coming. I came on ahead to catch you," Hilde put in helpfully.

At this Duo glared at Hilde and Trowa and Heero started laughing again. All of a sudden, Hilde started laughing too.

"Duo don't try to glare at me, I know you don't mean it. It doesn't suit you. And anyways you can't glare properly," she said.

This ticked off Duo even further and he also put on a frown. And this, in turn, caused the other three to hoot even louder with laughter.

"Did we miss anything?" Quatre asked coming up behind the Four. He was smiling and Dorothy was behind him and she was smiling too.

"No, Nothing. Let's go. I just managed to entertain these three without even trying to," Duo answered Quatre and started off to go downstairs.

Hilde started after him and caught up with him in no time at all. She tried to cheer him up.

"Ok! I am sorry. C'mon, smile now."

He did not speak to her but continued walking ahead. Why did she have to embarrass him in front of his friends? They were now out of the building. Duo walking ahead, sulking almost, and Hilde following him with her endless chatter. The others caught up with the twosome someway out of the building. Heero and Trowa appeared to have sobered up.

"Sorry about that pal. It's just that we don't see you sulking like this everyday, it just tickled my funny bone," Trowa said to Duo trying to walk alongside him.

"Hn," Duo said.

"Hey Duo! Stop sulking man!" This was Heero.

Duo suddenly turned around, it was unlikely for Heero to speak that way, and he wanted to make sure that it was Heero who spoke the words. He stopped abruptly. Hilde and Trowa who were walking beside Duo stopped after a while. They turned around to face Duo. And to their surprise, he was grinning from ear to ear. The two looked at each other and shrugged. Heero's did the one eyebrow thing, questioning with his eyes. Quatre was clearly confused and Dorothy was looking at Duo. All three of them received shrugs from Hilde and Trowa as an answer.

Apparently, everyone was confused. Everyone except for Duo, that is. Quatre decided to change the subject. 

"Do you people plan on living on campus?" He asked.

This brought everyone back to reality. Even Duo. 

"Hell, I never thought about it," was his response.

"That is Duo Maxwell for you," Hilde muttered under her breath. She did not want to anger Duo again.

"Yes, I am planning to. I have to ask them about the boarding facilities and boarding fees," Heero said.

"I might live on campus if it is cheaper than renting the apartment," Trowa said.

"I want to live on campus. It is so beautiful." Quatre said this while looking around him and sighed.

"You have enough money to buy your own house 'round here," Duo told him.

"Yes, I know, but I want to live like the rest of the people. I am tired of this special treatment I get while I am home. I would like to live independently."

"OK! Let's go and ask the lady at the front desk about the boarding at Peacecraft University," Heero suggested.

They all agreed on that. They turned to go back to the building. The lady there gave them a few brochures and told them that if they needed any extra information, they should go directly to the housing/boarding department. And where was that? One of the buildings #3. And where do you collect the forms for the boarding? Building #3. And where did you pay your fees? Building #3. Quatre thanked her for her help and they left the building.

Heero remembered reading the brochure before. Of course, he had one of these back home. He used it as a tea coaster. 

"Hey! Look what it says. The boarding fees are less than half the rent, if you were to rent an apartment outside of campus. Cool!" Duo was ecstatic. He was definitely going to live on campus, if it saved him that much money.

"It also says that the boarding facilities are like the ones at boarding school and that you are allotted a particular room. And that you may have to share the room with another person. Hmmmm. We'd better go and get this clarified." Quatre informed Duo and the others.

The others agreed to it and all of them started off towards Building #3.

The person there informed them that building #3 and 5 were used for boarding. These buildings were pretty big. And that if you wanted to live on campus, you would have to live in either one of the two buildings. You would live there for the entire time that you attended university and that each student was assigned a room. You might have to share your room if it was a two bedroom apartment. Apartment? Yes, apartment. You would have your own room, a sitting room and a kitchen as well. Did you have a choice of your partner? No, they did not have enough money to do all that. You take what you get or leave it. They thanked the man for his help and each of them collected a boarding form anyways and left.

They said their good byes and wished each other luck so that they would get into the University. Heero looked at Duo and Duo winked back at him. Both were smiling. Everyone except for Trowa had a shuttle to catch. And if you are wondering if they would notify Trowa via e-mail, the answer is: they would notify everyone about their results via e-mail. It was much easier that way.

"Then why the letters the first time?" Trowa had asked.

"Because not everyone had to give the entrance exam." The lady had answered.

Duo had whistled a low whistle and said, "Weird. Really weird."

Yes, it was a bit weird. Everything around here. 

________________________________________________________________

On the flight back home, Heero was thinking about the boarding conditions at Peacecraft University. He was thinking about the pros and cons of living there. He was busy thinking about it even when he reached his apartment.

Finally, he decided it would be better to live on Campus. He did not have a lot of money anyways and this sounded like a very economical option.

 He thought, 'It would be better if I did not have to live with anybody at all or if my room mate is someone I know, but then again it would make no difference to me if anyway if somebody was living with me." 

True, he was not a social person. If the other person wanted to socialise, it would be the other person's problem. Not his. He was going to fill out the form online and submit it. With his decision finalised, he went to look for something to eat in his refrigerator. There was nothing much in there. A sandwich would have to do for now.

'Note to self: Stock up more food. Refrigerator is almost empty.'

After he had eaten his dinner, which was not a lot to begin with, he went and sat down in front of his laptop. He had forms to fill.

________________________________________________________________

Duo was thinking about the boarding conditions too. The rate for boarding was half of what he would spend if he rented an apartment. He did not have a lot of money in the first place, only whatever he earned by working part time for Howard. But what if he ended up living with a weirdo? And what if he wanted to stay back in his room and skip university? But then again, he could find other ways and means to bunk classes. 

After a long time he decided, he was going to apply for boarding house on the University campus, no matter what the consequences. He did not have money to waste and if he could save some, it would really help him in the future. He decided that he would fill out their boarding form online. It would be easier for him. And most probably for the University people too. 

"I wonder why they have to have these forms printed out when people can easily fill them out online. Oh well! I guess I am getting into a weird university for weirdoes."

________________________________________________________________

 Trowa had now returned to the circus. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to stay at the boarding house. It was convenient in every way possible and he was not going to worry about who his room mate would be. He did not care. That's right he simply did not care. He was used to living with strangers. It would make no difference to him. Currently the only thing on his mind was the circus performance. Not that it really mattered, but that's what he was paid for.

"Trowa, you left us again. Without even telling me where you went." It was Catherine. "So where have you been Trowa?" 

"I had gone to the University and I am back and there's lots of time for our first performance. So don't worry."

"Who's worried? I just had to deliver a message from the old man: He wants to see you, right now."

"Ok."

"How did you find the University?"

"Fine."

"How was the examination?"

"Whaa…How did you know?" Trowa was genuinely surprised.

"You shouldn't leave your things lying around, you know."

Trowa smiled. He never could really hide anything from her. It was amazing in itself that she did not know anything about his Gundam in the beginning. Or maybe she did. Who knows?

"It was fine. It was easy. I think I can get in."

"Good."

"I thought you did not want me to leave?" He was surprised for the second time that afternoon.

"I did not, but I'll always support you. Don't you worry about that," she said with a smile.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now leave, the man paying you is waiting or else he will start off about how you are late every time."

"That's not true."

"I know."

________________________________________________________________

Quatre would have to talk out the matter of boarding school with his sister. He was sure she could understand. She would handle the rest for him. No matter what, he was going to stay at boarding school. And that was final. He had gone against his family's wishes once; he could do the same again. He settled down and made himself comfortable in his own shuttle and thought about his day. It had been a very good day for him.

He dozed off.

When he reached his mansion, he went to his elder sister immediately. And he pretty much knew what her response would be. And sure enough there were no surprises.

"No!"

"But Amber!"

"I said, No! What do you think I am going to tell the others?"

"You don't have to tell anybody anything right now. You have almost a month to come up with something. And I promise if I find the place uncomfortable, I will buy a place for myself immediately."

"Rashid is going to be mighty pissed off."

"So you will do it?" He gave her his innocent look and with his bright blue eyes and blonde hair and his sweet smile, it was not much of a problem.

"I'll try," she said with a sigh.

Mission Accomplished.

________________________________________________________________

NOTE: And that's all for chapter 3. Nothing too spectacular, but it's a start. As promised, this chapter is a bit longer. Longer than the first two I mean ^_^. Oh! I am really enjoying writing this fic. I might be able to come up with the next chapter or two before school starts and then the updates might not be that frequent. But thanks for reading anyways (even if you did not review^_^-). And for those who will read this in the future… Please REVIEW. I need help with my writing. If you do not review, u will keep coming across the same mistakes again and again. Love ya, Devil.:-)


	4. The Second Letter and the Boarding House

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

**Note:** This chapter is named as "The Second letter" But let me inform you that there is no letter, whatsoever in this chapter. I am calling it the second letter because; the 2nd chapter was called the first letter. There is an important e-mail in this chapter though. (You would have already guessed that if you read the earlier chapter, ^_^) and this chapter is about 10 pages long.

**Chapter 4: The Second Letter and the Boarding House.**

The month after the examination went by pretty well for Heero. He had managed to get a part time job at a shooting range. He taught people how to shoot and handle a gun and the rest of the things associated with shooting including how to clean your gun and how to load bullet cartridges. The pay was OK but this was not what he wanted to do. Actually, he had never really thought about a part time job, until he met Duo at the university. He was glad he had a job nevertheless, it would add to his savings. He needed money.

It was July 31st and he had just come back from his day's work, or should we say his afternoon's work. He went and sat down in front of his laptop. He had mail. He thought it must have been one of Dr.J's mails. He was surprised to find that it was a mail that confirmed his admission to the university; he had been accepted to the programs that he had applied for. He was surprised and happy. He had forgotten about the results of the entrance examination.  He was starting in fall and his boarding had also been approved. He had to go to the university on 1st September to get his room at the boarding house and settle down before actually starting university on 5th September.

He had one more month to get ready. He would have to inform his employers that he would be leaving within a month.

________________________________________________________________

"So I hear you are joining University Duo."

"Yes, the results of my entrance examination should be coming in soon," Duo replied to Howard, while still fixing something.

"Hilde called."

"What did she say? When did she call?"

"While you were out for lunch. Said something about the results. Could they be your results?"

"Maybe, I'll go home and check my mails."

"Its time to leave anyway. You can finish this tomorrow."

Duo was only too glad to leave. 

He went home and opened his mailbox. Yep, it was regarding the results all right. He had made it, but he could not apply for a scholarship. His marks were not that high. But he had made it to the university and he was happy about it. He too had to go to the University a few days earlier in order to get his room. He decided to call Hilde.

He managed to get her on vid phone this time. She was home.

"So babe, did you get in?"

"Yes, I did. What about you hotshot?"

"Yep I did. Tell me one thing; are you planning on staying on campus?"

"Yes. I filled out the forms online. They approved."

"So should we go there together like last time?"

"Sure, why not?"

"And are you doing anything tonight?"

"No, why?"

"Because we are going out to celebrate. It's a date. 8 o'clock. I'll pick you up." He flashed a thumbs up sign, winked and signed off.

________________________________________________________________

            "Hey Trowa, when do your results come in?" Catherine asked Trowa.

            "They should be coming in today or tomorrow." He just shrugged her off.

"Are they sending you a letter again?"

"No, they said they would e-mail me. I was going to go and check them right now."

"Be back in time for the performance though."

He nodded and left.

No surprises here. He did have a mail from the university people. And he had been accepted for both the courses that he had applied for. He had also been accepted for boarding. He went back to his trailer. He was well on time.

"So, did they say anything?"

"I have been accepted. I'll be leaving on September first. I have shuttle reservations to make."

"Good. But don't forget us." She wished him luck.

All of a sudden, he went to her and gave her a bear hug.

"You are the only thing that I have close to a family, don't even think about it," and when he said these words, he meant it.

"Oh Trowa!" she patted him on the shoulder. "I was only joking. And best of luck for the future."

"Thanks, we still have another month."

"I'll come to visit you there."

"Sure thing!"

________________________________________________________________

            "Hey Amber! I made it. They accepted me!"

"Of course they would. So are you still planning to stay on campus?"

"Yeah! I've wanted to live there since the day I saw that place."

"Are you sure if you get landed with a room mate who has mood swings, you won't be exhausted?"

"I never thought about that!"

"I think you should rent an apartment and live there."

"No way! All my friends are living on campus. I want to be with them. I think I can handle the problem of a room mate."

"How?"

"Get a single room." He smiled at her.

"You said they did not give you the choice."

"I could always try."

"Who would have thought that you could be so stubborn?" She sighed.

"So you going to start convincing people for me?" he asked her expectantly.

"I'll try lil' bro, I'll try." She got up and ruffled his hair.

"So when are you leaving," she turned back and asked him.

"I'll be leaving on the first of September. Should get going now. Bye" He waved at her and left the room.

________________________________________________________________

            It is needless to say that the month was uneventful. All four Gundam pilots were busy with their lives and were getting ready to join university. So let's just proceed to the date of September 1, when our heroes join University.

________________________________________________________________

We now switch our scene to the Boarding house a.k.a Building #3.

Duo had entered the lobby of the building with his luggage. Hilde followed soon after. He went over to the reception desk, at least which was what it appeared to be. It would most likely be the register desk.

"Hello, name's Duo Maxwell. Could you tell me which room I am supposed to be occupying."

"Just a sec," was the gruff reply.

"Okie, dokie."

He only received a frigid glare as a reply.

"Room #609, 6th floor. Here are the keys." The man handed him the keys and called for a person to help Duo with his luggage.

"Thank you, Sir." Duo took the keys and was starting off towards the elevator, when the man spoke up again.

"Would you please sign here? And I hope you know that you might have to share your room with a stranger," the man informed him.

"Yes, I know that. And who may I know are you?" Duo asked the man. He was definitely irritating.

"I am the registrar and the Dean and am in charge of this boarding house. My name is Ronald Blackwell. You might call me Mr. Blackwell or Sir." He then turned to Hilde who was watching the exchange silently. "Your name, please, Miss?" He asked her. He was much more courteous to her.

Ohhkay! Now he had to deal with a troublesome Dean, with whom he was already not on good terms. He was wondering who his room mate would be. He was hoping it would be some sociable person, someone like him.

"Hilde Schbeiker," she told him with a slight smile.

"You have your room on the 6th floor, too. Room # 621. And you will have to share your room too, as it is a double room apartment. Here are the keys."

"Thank you," she had taken the keys, signed the register saying that she had agreed to take the room and was now the resident of that particular apartment and was turning to leave when Mr. Blackwell spoke to her.

"Are you sure you don't need any help with your luggage, Miss Schbeiker?"

"No, thank you. I can manage."

He smiled at her and looked at Duo with dislike.

The two headed towards the elevator. 

"I don't like that guy one bit," Duo said to Hilde the moment they got into the elevator.

"Oh c'mon. He is not that bad," She replied with smile. She knew what Duo meant.

"He does not like me one bit and I don't think there is any reason for that, do you?"

"Don't worry about him, we have rooms on the same floor, isn't that good?" and she landed a kiss on his cheek. He wasn't expecting it. He turned around and held her, when the elevator, ting-ed to a stop. She freed herself from his embrace and said, "We are here." 

They got off on the sixth floor. The floor was really, really big. It would at least be 200 metres from one end to the other or maybe even longer. Now they had to find their rooms. Her room was easy enough to find, it wasn't far from the elevator. She opened the door and turned to him in the doorway.

"See you later."

He held her and they kissed for a long time. When they finally broke for breath, she was the first one to speak. "Go find your room, or are you planning to kick my room mate out?"

"Could I do that?" He asked her mischievously.

"Better not or that Blackwell guy will kick you out."

"Damn him."

"Bye, find your room. And meet me later." She shut the door and he was left standing outside.

Now he had to find his room. It was right at the end of the corridor. Well, almost at the end. He opened the door and he stopped in the doorway.

"Hooohleeeeeee!"

His room was Big! It was bigger than his apartment back home, and totally furnished. He looked around the place. This place had a living room complete with a television, a kitchen and two rooms with closets and study tables, and a bathroom. So he and his room mate, whoever that may be, would have to share one bathroom. That would be a little bit of a problem. He went in and checked the kitchen. The kitchen had a refrigerator, but unfortunately, it was not stocked up. Next he opened the kitchen cupboards. They were stocked up with little odds and ends, that would most probably last him for a week at the most and then he figured he would have to either buy things for the kitchen or go someplace else to eat. He was still looking through the kitchen cupboards when he heard the front door open. It must be his room mate. He peeked out of the kitchen door and he received the shock of his life. His room mate was none other than Heero Yuy.

"Hey there," he waved from the kitchen and grinned at his friend.

Heero just looked at him for a while and then a smile crept on his face. Apparently he had received a shock as well. 

"I came first, so I get the choice of my room and I have chosen the one on the right, you can take the one on the left," Duo informed him.

"Ok." Heero left to land his luggage in his room. He could always make Duo change rooms if he did not like his room.

When he came back, Duo was sitting on the couch and had switched on the television. Duo saw him come out of his room and turned to him.

"It's good that we are not strangers. At least we know each other. Living together should not be a problem."

"No, it won't be a problem. I don't mind living with a friend."

Heero proceeded to the kitchen and started the coffee maker. 

"So when did you get here?" Heero had come out of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Just a few minutes before you got here."

"Ok. So what are we supposed to do before The University actually starts?" He asked Duo.

"Dunno, Just make ourselves home, I guess. And make settle our differences if we have any."

"I don't think that should be much of a problem."

Heero turned and went to the window and was looking out. The view was pretty good. Then all of a sudden he received a slap on his back.

"I sure am glad that I landed up with a friend for a room mate."

Heero turned around and looked at Duo.

"So am I, Duo. So am I." Duo would have to pay for that slap sometime soon. He smiled at the thought. He was glad too that he was going to share his space with Duo and not some stranger. Living with Duo was fun. Not a dull moment. Life would be interesting here.

________________________________________________________________

"Hello sir."

"Your name please."

"Quatre Raberba Winner."

"Ah, Mr. Winner…you had a special request?"

"Yes, I was wondering if I could get a single room for myself," Quatre asked Mr. Blackwell nervously.

"Oh Sure. Your elder sister, Miss Amber called just before you came in."

"Did she?"

"Yes and she explained your situation to us. We will be glad to help you Mr. Winner."

He could always count on his sister. Nothing was impossible for her.

'I wonder what she did this time. Must have bribed him, I guess,' He thought. 'Or maybe, she threatened him with something.' This thought made him laugh.

"You have a room on the 6th floor. Room #603. Here are the keys. Do you need any help with your luggage Mr. Winner?" The Dean was talking to him.

This interrupted his train of thoughts. "No thank you, I'll find my way." He took the key and started off towards the elevator.

He found his room without much trouble. It wasn't far from the elevator. He had thought that his single room would be just that, a single room suitable only for one person. But when he opened the door, he couldn't believe his eyes. By a single room, these people meant a one bedroom, hall, kitchen apartment. Having a big sister sure made things easier for you. 

He decided to make himself home. When he was all settled down. He decided to see what was in stock. He had just gotten off from a long shuttle flight and he was tired and hungry. He went to the kitchen and checked out the supplies. There were quite a few things and he could probably scrap up something to eat. He would have to eat outside. He was not much of a cook. Even when he was fighting in the war, he had people do take care of these things. Now, either he had to learn how to cook or spend an extra few bucks on food. Oh well, he would think about it later.

He fixed himself a sandwich and sat down on the couch. He wanted to meet his neighbours. But he did not know if people were there in the rooms nearby. He decided it would be better to wait till the next day. He also wanted to find out where his friends were. He could ask the Dean about them, he seemed eager to help.

________________________________________________________________

Trowa entered the Boarding house pretty late during the day; his craft was delayed during departure. He went to the register desk and cleared his throat. The Dean, Mr. Blackwell looked up and looked at Trowa as though sizing him up. 

"My name is Trowa Barton and I applied for boarding at this place."

"Let me check the Register."

After Mr. Blackwell was done checking and all the formalities were taken care off he turned to Trowa.

"You have been allotted a room on the 6th floor, room #610. I hope you know you will be sharing your room."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"Then here are the keys Mr. Barton.  Are you sure you do not need help with your luggage?"

"No, thank you, Mr. Blackwell. It was nice meeting you."

Trowa left towards the elevator and the Dean smiled to himself. A nice young man, he thought to himself.

Trowa got off on the 6th floor and waked towards his room. Incidentally, it was the one next to Duo and Heero's room. He did not know this though. He went and opened the door to room#610. If he was surprised he did not show it.

"Seems my room mate is already here," he said eyeing the luggage at the door of the room at the right. 

"Shit!" 

This word was said by a female voice and came from the kitchen area.

"So my room mate is a girl," He smirked. And he closed the door with a slight bang in order to notify his room mate of his arrival.

"Oh Hi!" 

A face peeked out from the kitchen door and his expression changed immediately to that of surprise and disbelief. Her expression changed to mirror his.

"No it can't be!" he whispered to himself.

This was the face of the girl that he saw so many times at his circus performances. The same mysterious person, who left midway but never failed to attend the circus performance for more than a month, was his room mate. He felt a jolt of electricity go down his back and he shivered slightly. Why did he feel that way?

She was the first one to recover. And to his surprise, she smiled and walked up to him and held out her hand.

"So we were destined to meet, won't you say Peirrot the Clown? So you did notice me at the circus then?"

She had withdrawn her hand. He was still standing still due to the shock.

"Yes," He said after a long while, when he had finally recovered. His eyes were hard and cold again. This was highly unexpected. He might have problems living with this girl.

He looked at the girl and noticed for the first time since he had set eyes on her that she was about 160cm tall, she had long shiny black hair that she tied back in a braid, much like Duo's, was well tanned, pretty lean and well proportioned body and she was dressed in a white turtle neck and black straight fit jeans. But the most remarkable feature that made her different from other girls that he knew was the intensity of her gaze. She had intense black eyes. They seemed like endless pools of mystery.

"So I see you have recovered from your little shock. Hi again, my name is Jade. Just Jade." She had held out her hand again and this time he took it and smiled back at her.

"My name is Trowa Barton and yes, I did notice you at the circus." He had completely recovered and was his usual calm and controlled self. 'When was the last time that I was so utterly surprised?' He thought.

"You are pretty good. I have seen you perform." She had now moved into the kitchen and was busy with something. He followed her and was leaning against the doorpost and was watching her every move.

"As far as I can remember, you never missed a single performance of our circus all the while that we were there."

She only smiled. That seemed to intrigue Trowa even more. Boy this was going to be difficult! He did not have trouble understanding people. So why was he not able to understand her actions? Why did she make him feel that way? Why did shivers run down his spine every time she turned and looked him in the eye?

"But why did you leave before the entire circus performance was over?" he asked her, he was still watching her.

She turned and walked up to him and looked up to meet his gaze. He was a good few inches taller than her, almost six to eight inches taller than her. He was still leaning against the doorpost.

"I had my reasons, but tell me one thing. Did I not intrigue you from the very beginning Mr. Barton?"

His eyes widened at her answer. 'How did she know? There's no way she could read his thoughts.' he thought.

She was looking at him with her intense gaze which made him slightly uncomfortable after a while and she finally spoke up.

"Surprised Mr. Barton?"

Yes, he was surprised. All he could do was nod.

She smiled and said, "I'm letting you in on a little secret. I am an empath. I could sense your feelings during your performance."

He smiled too. Now it figures, she was an empath; he would have to be careful around her. Yes, it was going to be difficult.

"Just call me Trowa."

"Ok, Trowa. I already occupied the room on the right; you can take the one on the left. And it looks like we are going to have to share one bathroom." 

He was still in the same place, leaning against the doorjamb, and she was busy preparing something. Cooking something, actually. It smelt good. He wondered if he was going to have to cook his own meals or if they could divide their responsibilities. She was speaking to him, but he was lost in his own thoughts. She was now facing him, but he did not see her. He had closed his eyes.

She laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly. Something like a shock went through him at her touch and he was instantly jarred back to reality. He looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, must have dozed off."

She gave him an understanding look and said, "It's Ok. You can go and sleep if you like. I'll have something ready for Dinner. I'll wake you up when I am done. We are going to have to work up an arrangement if we are to live together."

She was right. He was tired, he was hungry and they would have to talk about a few things first before they could make themselves comfortable. He nodded.

"Thanks." He left the kitchen and went towards his room. It was adequately furnished and that's all he needed. He landed his luggage in a corner and flopped down on his bed. He fell asleep immediately.

He was awakened by a loud knocking on his door. He got up groggily and checked his watch. It was 7.30 pm. He had been sleeping for two and a half hours. He went to the door and opened it. Jade was leaning against the wall by the door.

"Hope you had a good rest Trowa. You must have been sleeping pretty deeply. I must have been knocking on your door for almost five minutes now." She was still leaning against the wall and was not looking at him. "Wakey, wakey lazy bones. Dinner's ready."

"Sorry, I guess I was pretty tired. I'll be there in a few minutes. Just give me some time to freshen myself."

"Ok, you got only fifteen minutes before I finish off everything on the dinner table." With that she left him. And the surprising thing was that she had not looked at him even once during their whole dialogue. He retreated back into his room and decided on a change of clothes. He changed into a pair of sweat pants and a simple T-shirt. He then went to the washroom and washed his face before meeting his room mate, Jade, at the table.

The bathroom was near the kitchen, in the corridor joining the hall/ living room to the kitchen. He then went into the kitchen and found Jade looking out of the kitchen window.

"Are you all fresh now?" she asked him with a smile.

"yes. The food smells nice."

"Thanks, but don't start your compliments before you taste it." She turned back and came and sat down on a chair. He took the chair opposite to her.

"Help yourself," she told him.

There was fried rice for dinner and vegetables with curry. She started eating and he followed suit. Only when he started eating did he realise how hungry he really was. And the food was delicious. He had second helpings before he was full.

"You truly are an excellent cook," he told her.

"Thank you," she did a mock bow and smiled at him. He was beginning to like that smile a lot. "I don't have anything for afters. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"I find coffee too bitter," he replied in his usual tone.

"I think we can fix that easily enough with a bit of milk and sugar."

"Ok."

A few minutes later she handed him a cup of coffee and got one for herself. She was right, the milk and sugar did seem to take care of the bitterness and he rather enjoyed the bittersweet taste. 

She had her own cup of coffee. She went and sat down beside him on the single couch in the living room. There were no chairs. The couch was big enough and they both sat at two ends of it. They maintained a complete silence for a few minutes, each sipping his coffee. Then she spoke up.

"I think we will have to set up some sort of a system, you know, like sharing duties and responsibilities." She was waiting for a response.  He only nodded and closed his eyes.

"So where do you suggest we start?" she asked him. And for the first time it seemed as though she was indeed asking for an opinion.

He turned to look at her. "How 'bout you do the cooking?"

She smiled at his reply as though she half expected it. "What will you do then?" she asked him.

"Clean up the place when it needs cleaning?" He offered.

"Done. Just don't bother with my things. I am highly disorganised as a rule." 

"Ok."

"And how about being friends, rather than just room mates?"  She stood up and took his empty cup from his hands, and put them in the sink.

She came back and winked at him and told him, "Now its your job to clean up."

He scowled slightly and then smiled, she was watching him and she laughed out when he smiled. He liked the sound of her laughter, it was clean. 

He got up and went to clean up the sink. When she spoke up.

"Why don't we clean our own dishes after we are done? It will be much more convenient."

He nodded and went to wash his own cup. She had done that for him already. He came back and sat down on the couch and said nothing. He did not know where to begin. 

"Stop being so distrustful. I am not going to eat you up," she said to him. She was standing behind him.

"It's not that. I just need time to get used to a few things."

"I understand. So which subjects have you chosen?" She said deciding it was the best line of conversation to choose in a time like this.

"Psychology and Mechanics, what about you?"

"You can call me Jade, and I have been accepted for psychology, and study of emphatic abilities and computer programming. I got into psychology even when I did not apply for it."

"How?"

Their conversation shifted from studies, to how they came to the University and to Trowa's circus performance and Jade's queer behaviour at the circus and the likes, but neither of them wanted to talk about their past. It was almost 10.30 pm when they finally stopped. He found it pretty easy to talk to her. She was the kind of person who you could talk to. He relaxed rather soon in her presence. Jade found it easy to talk to Trowa too and by the end of their conversation, they were laughing together. Living with Jade might not be that difficult after all.

That night he retired to bed, with a smile and a wry feeling in the pit of his stomach. Today had been pretty eventful for him. She was thinking the same in the room next to him. As a matter of fact, Heero and Duo were thinking along the same lines before they retired to bed. Things were going to get pretty interesting around her, with all four Gundam pilots, Hilde and Trowa's new friend on the same floor.

=============================================================

**Note:** hi again! I hope you are enjoying yourself. I might be able to come up with one more chapter before school starts and then the updates might be less frequent. This chapter is shorter than the last one and I apologise if you were expecting it to be longer. A big thank you to all the people who read this and review. And yes, I plan to make things pretty interesting. Stay tuned for the next chapter. I won't hint what it is. But I hope you find it entertaining. And for all those who are reading it, please review. Reviews help me write better. Love, Devil :-)


	5. Old Acquaintances?

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^  
  
Note: This is going to be a really, really short chapter. Maybe just about a page or so long. I don't know. I just write as things come to me. This Chapter more or less forms a link between the last chapter and the chapters to come. Hope you understand. And big thanks to all the people who are reading and reviewing. Love ya, Devil^_^*  
  
Chapter 5: Old Acquaintances?  
  
September 2nd  
  
He was sleeping soundly, dreaming dreams about him and Hilde and had a satisfied smile on his face. Heero was standing in the doorway of Duo's room and had been watching him for almost ten minutes now. He smiled. Now was the perfect time to pay Duo back for that slap yesterday. He slowly picked up the spare pillow and hit Duo's head with it. It hit Duo's head and Duo just caught it and continued dreaming. Heero just sighed.  
  
"He is absolutely hopeless."  
  
Heero then tried opening the curtains to let the sunlight in and Duo just turned his back to the window. Heero was beginning to wonder if he was going to wake Duo up at all, forget surprising him in any way. He finally decided to resort to the last and final plan of action that he had. He went up to Duo's bed and bent down to Duo's ear and yelled in full volume.  
  
"Get up you idiot!"  
  
That seemed to do the trick. Duo jerked and sat up in bed as though his pillow had turned to a pile of burning coals. He was utterly surprised and was looking around with a bewildered expression, his hair tousled from sleep. He made a funny picture. Heero could not control himself any longer and burst out laughing.  
  
"That's for yesterday's slap, buddy," he told Duo.  
  
Duo who had finally completely, truly woken up looked at Heero with something like an angry expression, but after a while a smile crept up on his face.  
  
"Don't ever do that again."  
  
"Wake up, man. Its morning already." Heero was still grinning.  
  
Duo finally got out of his bed and yawned.  
  
"Did you get some breakfast ready?" he asked Heero.  
  
"I am finished with my breakfast already."  
  
"You mean, you didn't leave some for me?"  
  
"I did."  
  
"Breakfast, here I come." ___________________________________________________________  
  
Quatre was up early. He wanted to ask the Dean if he knew where his other friends were. They were living on campus so they had to be in one of the two buildings. He fixed himself another sandwich. It was apparently the only thing that he could fix for himself it seems. He thought he heard Hilde and Dorothy in the corridor outside. He left his sandwich on the table and went out to open the door, to check if Hilde and Dorothy really were in the corridor. And to his surprise, they were. He was just watching the exchange between Hilde and Dorothy from his doorway. It was Dorothy who noticed him first.  
  
"Isn't that Quatre?"  
  
"Yes, I am Quatre. Glad you remember me." He walked ahead and stood by Hilde and Dorothy.  
  
"Hey Quatre, how do you find this place?" Hilde asked him.  
  
"It's pretty good," he replied.  
  
"So what are you planning to do today, Quatre?" Dorothy asked him and touched his hand. He blushed slightly.  
  
"I was just having my breakfast right now when I heard your voice in the corridor. It isn't anything much, just a sandwich."  
  
"So can you cook?" Dorothy asked him and received an elbow in her ribs from Hilde. But Quatre was too busy looking at the carpet to notice anything. He blushed a brighter shade of pink and replied, "No, I can't. Sandwiches and instant foods are the only things that I can make."  
  
Hilde soon came to his rescue. "So what are your plans for the day?"  
  
"After breakfast I was planning to meet the Dean and ask him if he knew where the others were living. He seemed pretty helpful."  
  
"Duo did not like that Dean one bit," She replied with a chuckle.  
  
"So you know where Duo is staying?" He asked her expectantly.  
  
"Of course I do, and Heero's his room mate," she informed him.  
  
"Imagine that. Two dorks living together." Dorothy said and rolled up her eyes in a mock gesture of exasperation. "It's a miracle in itself, how you became their friend Quatre."  
  
He blushed even brighter and reminded her, "We fought in the war together. I was a Gundam pilot too."  
  
"We should be going now or else we will be late. Nice meeting you Quatre. At least we have one neighbour whom we know." With that she dragged Dorothy away and Quatre turned to go back in.  
  
He knew that Duo and Heero were living in the same apartment, but he did not know which apartment that was. He also did not know where Trowa was living. He would have to meet the Dean after he finished his sandwich.  
  
When he had finished his sandwich, he went down to the lobby. He found the Dean in his office. He knocked on the door to announce his presence.  
  
"Oh, good morning, Mr. Winner. How did you find your room? I do hope you had a good night. Please come in."  
  
Quatre entered the office and sat down on a chair that the Dean indicated.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Blackwell. The room was good and I indeed had a very good night. But I had a favour to ask of you, if it isn't too much trouble," he said apologetically.  
  
"How may I help you Mr. Winner?"  
  
"I wanted to know where my friends were staying. I was wondering if you could consult the register and tell me that."  
  
"Is that all? That shouldn't be much of a bother. If you want we can take care of it right now." He got up from his chair and Quatre followed. "Please follow me."  
  
They went out of his office to the main desk and he took out a big register.  
  
"Now, what might their names be Mr. Winner?" he asked Quatre.  
  
"A Mr. Duo Maxwell. A."  
  
He was abruptly cut off.  
  
"You mean the one with a long braid?"  
  
"Yes, that's him. Could you tell me where he is staying?"  
  
"I would hardly have expected him to be your friend, but pardon me." He resumed his search in the register and finally announced.  
  
"He is living on the same floor as you and has been allotted room # 609. Do you have any other friends living here?"  
  
"Yes. A Mr. Heero Yuy and a Mr. Trowa Barton."  
  
"Mr. Yuy seems quite a recluse and let me tell you Mr. Barton is a fine young man with fine manners."  
  
"Yes I do know that. It's amazing how you remember the names of so many people."  
  
"Actually I don't, but last night's was a funny party. Everyone had their own air. It is easy to remember such people. Ah. here it is. Mr. Barton is also living on the same floor as you in room # 610 and Mr. Yuy is Mr. Maxwell's room mate."  
  
"Many thanks to you for helping Mr. Blackwell."  
  
"Glad to be of service.anytime."  
  
'It is unusual for a guy like Mr. Winner to keep such friends. But, it's a pretty weird world after all,' he thought to himself.  
  
He had finally located the whereabouts of his friends, now all he had to do is go and find them. It would be better if he went in the evening. Everyone was probably out to get supplies. And that reminded him that he too needed to get supplies. ___________________________________________________________  
  
Trowa woke up pretty late. He checked the watch on his study table. It said 10.30 am. He must have slept in. He must have been really tired yesterday to sleep for 12 hours straight. He decided to get out of bed. He opened the door to his room and walked out of his room. He looked around the apartment. His room mate was no where to be seen. He was walking towards the kitchen when he noticed for the first time a note posted on his door. Funny. He hadn't noticed it when he got out of his room. Must have still been half asleep. He went and read it. It was written in a neat hand. It read as follows.  
  
7.30 am  
  
Dear room mate,  
  
You were sleeping soundly and did not wake up even after I knocked on your door for fifteen minutes straight. So I decided to let you sleep. Breakfast is in the kitchen. I won't be there for lunch so fix something up for yourself. Won't be back till evening, but I'll take care of dinner. See you later.  
  
Jade.  
  
It had a smiley face at the end. He smiled to himself. She really wanted to be his friend. She reminded him a bit of Catherine, but she was different. He walked into the kitchen and sure enough there was breakfast in the microwave. Bacon and eggs. He made himself a cup of coffee with milk and sugar, the way she had made last night. He had his breakfast and then freshened up and took a shower. He was expecting the bathroom to be littered with all the girl stuff, but to his utter surprise, there was nothing of the sort. As a matter of fact there was hardly anything, only the bare necessities. He was a bit taken aback but he went in anyway. It seemed strange to be sharing a bathroom with a stranger. And a stranger who was a girl. And to top it all, a girl who was not like others.  
  
He came out 10 minutes later and dressed up. He had to get supplies for university and also had to find his friends. He also wanted to know who his neighbours were. The ones in #609. There was a lot of noise coming from that room yesterday, but something at the back of his mind told him that the people staying in that room were the people he thought they were. That is, Heero and Duo. But he wanted to be sure nevertheless.  
  
He took the keys locked his apartment and went and knocked on the door of #609. He was greeted by a stern looking Heero Yuy. They both glared at each other and then Heero smiled.  
  
"You loose," he told Trowa.  
  
Trowa smiled too.  
  
"Come in." Heero told him.  
  
"Where's your room mate. If I am not much mistaken, it's Duo, right?"  
  
"Yes. And he just woke up and is finishing up his breakfast of cereal and milk."  
  
Duo had heard the two of them talking and walked out of the kitchen into the living room in his pyjamas and a huge cereal bowl in his hands.  
  
"Hi Trowa." He said between mouthfuls of cereal.  
  
"How did you know we were here and that we were room mates?" Heero asked Trowa.  
  
"I live in the apartment next to yours and you two sure make a lot of noise."  
  
Duo grinned and Heero smiled, they had had a pillow fight last night.  
  
"So who's your room mate, Clown boy?" Duo asked him.  
  
"So what are you going to do today?" Trowa tried to evade the subject.  
  
"Nothing much. After this baka gets ready, we were planning to get our university supplies and have a look around the campus," Heero who was now looking out of the window, told him.  
  
Duo just grinned at Trowa and resumed eating.  
  
"Know where Quatre's living?"  
  
"No, But he'll find us before we find him." Duo had finished eating and went and put his bowl in the sink.  
  
"Wash the bowl, you baka," Heero yelled at Duo from the hall.  
  
"Ok, Ok. Don't shout." Was the reply from the kitchen and you could hear the water running in the sink. Duo then entered the bathroom and stayed there for the next twenty minutes. Heero and Trowa talked a bit. Nothing too specific. Heero had noticed that Trowa did not want to talk about his room mate, so he did not broach the subject.  
  
All three of them left together when Duo was all ready. They decided to look around the campus first. They had the supply store right on campus, so they did not have to leave the University campus to get the required things. As a matter of fact, there was a general store, pharmacy and grocery store all on Campus. It sure made things easier for them.  
  
They were a weird crowd. Duo with his long braid, Trowa with his gravity defying hair and Heero with his unruly mop, all walking in silence. Yes, even Duo. He was busy looking for Hilde. Each of them dressed differently. Duo in his usual black, Heero in a white button up shirt and blue jeans and Trowa in his turtle neck and black trousers. As expected, Duo met Hilde somewhere during his tour of the University grounds.  
  
"Hey, I've been looking for you. I checked your room. You weren't there," Duo told Hilde when she had caught up with him.  
  
"Yep. Me and Dorothy decided to get an early start."  
  
"Where did Dorothy come in now?"  
  
"She is my room mate baka," Hilde up slapped Duo's head while she said this.  
  
"Heero's my room mate," He told Hilde.  
  
She turned to look at Heero and as a confirmation, Heero only said, "Hn." And gave a slight nod of his head.  
  
"So where is your fine friend now?" Duo asked Hilde.  
  
"Oh! She met Quatre sometime back and they decided to go get the University supplies. They must be somewhere in that building," she said pointing towards one of the big buildings.  
  
"Let's go look for them there." It was Heero who said this.  
  
They foursome left towards the building and everybody spilt up except for Duo and Hilde. After all they all had to buy their supplies. It was Friday and neither of them knew if any of these shops, stores, whatever you call it were open on weekends.  
  
Heero was looking for something when he saw Quatre and Dorothy walking together in an aisle. Dorothy had said something and was laughing and Quatre was blushing but smiling all the same. He then said something that made her laugh even harder. Heero just smiled and continued walking. He would meet them in the next aisle. He was right behind them. It seems while entering the other aisle they had seen Heero, because when he caught up with them, they were acting like mere acquaintances.  
  
"So how have you been Heero?" Dorothy asked him. She was looking at him with a frigid glare.  
  
"Fine."  
  
He then turned to Quatre and gave him a knowing look and Quatre just blushed slightly.  
  
Somewhere else, Hilde was telling Duo about Quatre's plight this morning. Duo could only laugh.  
  
"Seems like Quatre's fallen for Dorothy," he managed to say after he stopped laughing.  
  
"I know, but I doubt if Quatre realises it yet," she said to him. She appeared thoughtful. She looked really cute when she concentrated about something or thought really hard. Duo was watching her. All of a sudden he pulled her close to him and said, "Forget that. I know I have fallen for you."  
  
And before she could say anything, he kissed her. They were still kissing when somebody cleared their throat behind them. They parted and Duo turned around to see who it was. Hilde was blushing slightly. Trowa was smiling there. He was smirking.  
  
"Did I interrupt something?" He asked slyly.  
  
"Nope. Did you get what you were looking for?" Duo asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then let's get out of here."  
  
They found Heero, Quatre and Dorothy at the cashier's. Duo waved at them and they waited for the other three to come. Heero was reluctant to wait, but Quatre insisted. Heero hated crowds and being the centre of attention. And theirs was a crowd that attracted a lot of attention. Duo, Trowa and Hilde joined them pretty soon and since nobody had anything else to do, they decided to visit the town. Everybody was hungry as it was near lunch time. Actually it was past their usual lunch time.  
  
They walked to town. Duo grumbled about it, but he was outnumbered, so he decided to go along, but he was not going to pay for the food.  
  
"I am not going to pay for the food. No way. We could have eaten on campus. There's an eating place there. And now they make me, poor, hungry Duo, walk all the way to the town so that they can satisfy their curiosity, while I die of hunger. And."  
  
"I'll pay for you if you stop your complaints." Heero said finally.  
  
"Is that a deal?" Duo asked him.  
  
"Anything to shut you up Duo, anything," he said.  
  
"Don't bother Heero. I'll pay for him," Hilde offered. "I owe him a lunch anyways."  
  
"I lost a bet," was her only reply to a questioning eyebrow that Heero was giving her.  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Don't you want to know what the bet was about?" Duo asked Heero eagerly.  
  
Hilde elbowed him in the ribs and whispered so that only Duo could hear her, "Not in front of those two, you baka."  
  
"Whoops! Sorry."  
  
They continued walking. Heero was walking with Trowa, Duo and Hilde were walking together and Quatre and Dorothy were walking together. Heero and Trowa were the only ones who walked in silence. Heero noticed that something was bothering his friend, but he did not ask him what it was. He didn't like people asking him questions. So why should he ask others questions. They walked all the way to town and Duo decided that they would enter the first restaurant or eating place that they saw.  
  
"There's a better one further down the street," Trowa informed them.  
  
"How do you know that buddy?" Duo asked him.  
  
"The circus visited this town for fifteen days during July." He told Duo.  
  
"So what's so great about this place?" Quatre asked Trowa.  
  
"Nothing. The food's good and the price isn't too high." He said in a tone that indicated that it was enough talking for now.  
  
They walked down the street to the restaurant that Trowa had suggested. It wasn't very big, but it had a homey feeling. It was called "Eater's Paradise"  
  
"Funny name for a restaurant," Duo remarked.  
  
They went in nevertheless.  
  
It was pretty crowded, but there were still a few empty tables. They chose to join two tables and gave their orders. Their table was near the wall, from where they could see the entrance. They were waiting for their food to arrive and were talking in general. Trowa and Heero were silent. Suddenly, Trowa tensed visibly. He almost jerked and whispered to himself, "What is she doing here?"  
  
Everybody at the table noticed Trowa's reaction to something though no one heard what he said. Everybody's eyes followed Trowa's and landed on a girl of average height. Yep, it was Jade. She was wearing a blue knee length skirt and a button up white shirt. Her long black hair was tied back in a big bun kind of a thing. She had some files in her hand and she went over to one of the tables and sat down. Far away from where our group was sitting with her profile to them.  
  
"Pretty good looking. Nice choice, Trowa," Duo said when he saw what Trowa was looking at and received an elbow from Hilde for his comment.  
  
"Hey! I was only telling the truth," he said to her defensively. She glared at him and Trowa was still staring at her. She was the same Jade from yesterday, but somehow she looked different in this attire.  
  
She had dismissed the person who had come to take her order. She was now looking over some papers and a stray strand of wavy hair drooped down onto her cheek. She brushed it aside roughly. Suddenly, she sensed something and sat up straight. Somebody was most probably talking about her or looking at her right this minute, in this room. She tried to shrug it off. It was too crowded in here to find the people who had chosen her as their subject of conversation. She tried to concentrate on what she was doing, but the feeling stayed. So she finally got up and walked out of the restaurant. Trowa's eyes followed her out into the street till she disappeared from view and so did the others' eyes.  
  
"So who was she?" Quatre asked him.  
  
"My room mate," he replied, still looking out of the window.  
  
"Wow, that's some room mate you have got!" Duo told him. He was going to add, 'wish I had a room mate like that,' but decided not to when he realised that Hilde was sitting right beside him and Heero, his current room mate was in the vicinity.  
  
"Why were you looking at her like that?" Dorothy asked him.  
  
"I have my reasons."  
  
Their food arrived and they started eating.  
  
"So when are you going to introduce us." Surprisingly, it was Heero and not Duo who asked this question.  
  
"May be tonight," he replied while he was still looking at the plate. Only if he had looked at Heero, he would have seen the humorous glint in Heero's eyes.  
  
"What did you do when you found out that your room mate was a girl? Were you surprised?" Duo asked him.  
  
"I was surprised because it was this girl."  
  
"What do you mean 'this girl'?" Duo asked again.  
  
"Nothing," was the only reply.  
  
After they finished their lunch (which was pretty soon), they left the restaurant and decided to look around a bit. After they were done looking around, it was almost past four in the afternoon. They decided to return to their respective apartments. Heero was still intrigued by Trowa's behaviour during the day. Trowa was generally a quiet person but today was something different. He seemed totally lost in his own world. Trowa was thinking about today and yesterday too. Duo was too occupied with Hilde to actually pay any attention and Quatre was too busy blushing at Dorothy's comments. ___________________________________________________________  
  
Trowa entered his apartment. Jade wasn't back yet. He had just entered his room when he heard the front door open. Jade was back. He kept his room door open just a bit so that he could know what was going on. She walked quickly into her room and shut the door. He heard her room door open five minutes later. He followed soon. She had changed into a pair of well worn jeans and a white T-shirt and her hair was back in her long braid again.  
  
"Oh hi! I didn't notice that you were back," she said to him.  
  
"But I noticed," he told her.  
  
She had now walked into the kitchen and he had followed. He was standing in exactly the same place that he was standing yesterday.  
  
"I hope you got my note in the morning."  
  
"Yes, I did."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Where were you anyway? I saw you at the "Eater's Paradise" today."  
  
"Oh! So it was you!" and she laughed. And this baffled him a bit.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I got that weird feeling that you get one someone stares at you. I couldn't concentrate on the work that I had to do. So I left."  
  
"You work?"  
  
"No I just had to handle a few accounts for my friend," she informed him.  
  
"You do accounting?"  
  
"No, not professionally. It's something like a hobby. Today it was a favour."  
  
"You were looking pretty good in that dress. So it was a favour?"  
  
"Thank you. And yes, it was a favour," she said in a tone that indicated it was the end of the conversation. But Trowa continued nevertheless.  
  
"My friends want to meet see where I am staying," he told her.  
  
"You don't give up, do you?" she asked him and finally met his eyes for the first time this evening. It made him feel a bit weird.  
  
"No, would you like to meet them?" He asked her.  
  
"When are they coming?"  
  
"Pretty late, at night. Only our neighbours."  
  
"So our neighbours are your friends? Which ones? The ones in # 609 or the ones in # 611?"  
  
"Ones in #609."  
  
"'K. fine by me. I'll be in my room then. I have some things to take care of." This time her tone indicated that she was done talking and he could continue if he wanted to, but he could speak to the doorjamb that he was leaning against all the same.  
  
He retreated from the kitchen.  
  
After dinner, she went into her room and closed the door. She wasn't interested in conversation today. He heard her switch on her laptop. He decided to call the guests. He knocked on the door. It was opened by the hyperactive Duo this time.  
  
"You can come now if you like," Trowa told him.  
  
"Be right there." And Duo bounded off to bang on Heero's door. A "we get to meet his room mate," greeted Trowa's ears in the hallway and Heero was opened the door almost immediately.  
  
"Let's go," Heero said. He was grinning. He wanted to see how Trowa got along with his new room mate.  
  
They followed Trowa into his shared apartment. They saw Jade returning to her room. Duo saw her long braid and muttered under his breath, "Her hair must be longer than mine."  
  
She noticed them but she closed the door to her room anyway. They were Trowa's friends and she had nothing to do among them. Heero and Duo were still standing in the doorway.  
  
"Won't you come in?" Trowa asked with mock politeness.  
  
"Oh, yeah.heh,heh," Duo said.  
  
After a while after they were done talking bout some stupid things, Heero asked Trowa, "Where's your room mate?"  
  
"In her room. Hasn't been very communicative today. Do you want to meet her anyway?"  
  
"Yes," both Duo and Heero echoed together.  
  
"Fine, have it your way," and sensing there was no way out, he went and knocked on Jade's door.  
  
"It's open, come in," she said in reply to the knock.  
  
He opened the door only a crack, the table was right beside the door and she was seated in front of her laptop at the table. She looked up to him and smiled. He smiled slightly and then told her.  
  
"My friends want to meet you."  
  
"Me?" She did the one eyebrow thing. Why would they want to meet her? He noticed that she was genuinely confused and nodded.  
  
"Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes. Just let me finish what I am doing."  
  
"Ok." And he closed the door.  
  
"She says she will be out in a few minutes," he informed his friends.  
  
"We heard that, buddy," Duo told him. He was grinning. Even Heero was smirking. Trowa did not have a good feeling about the coming meeting. He was still thinking about that, when the door behind him opened. She was standing behind him.  
  
"So who am I supposed to meet?" She asked to no one in particular. Trowa moved from her line of vision and when he made no attempt to do the introductions, she walked up to Heero first and held out her hand.  
  
"My name is Jade, and pray who might you be?" She asked him with a smile.  
  
He took her hand and replied gruffly, "Heero Yuy."  
  
She then turned to Duo and held out her hand and said with a smile, "Jade."  
  
Duo took her hand and returned her smile, "Duo Maxwell."  
  
She seemed to be thinking about something and then spoke up with a smile, "Duo Maxwell of colony cluster L2, ward of Maxwell church."  
  
He was visibly startled. Was she a mind reader? Trowa had told them that she was an empath, but could empaths read minds? She sensed his, confusion, curiosity and a little bit of fear and then walked up to him and said in barely a whisper, "Name's Jade. Also called 'Loner' by some."  
  
That seemed to ring a bell. "Not that Jade?!?" He asked a surprised way.  
  
"Yes, the very same Jade."  
  
Trowa and Heero were looking at the two and when Heero shot Trowa a questioning look, Trowa just shrugged. It seems like Jade sensed their confused feeling and then turned to them, "You can call us very old acquaintances."  
  
They both looked at Duo for a confirmation and he nodded. This was getting interesting, really interesting.  
  
After a while they lapsed into general conversation, when Duo suddenly asked her, "How is Trevor?" she just looked at him and immediately changed the subject.  
  
"So did you find yourself a girl?" she asked him.  
  
"Yes and."  
  
"Does she beat you up?" Jade asked him, her eyes dancing with mirth.  
  
Duo blushed slightly and said, "No, not all girls are like you and I could beat you up now." He was getting defensive.  
  
Heero and Trowa had stopped their talking and had turned to Jade and Duo.  
  
"I am not in the mood, but maybe later we can see about that." She was speaking to Duo and then she turned to Trowa and Heero with an almost pleading look, though the intensity of her gaze never wavered. It was this intense gaze that also intrigued Heero, but she did not have the same effect on Heero as it did on Trowa. She then spoke to them, "Please don't bother him about what just happened. You will know when the time comes and it would spoil the surprise if you ask him." And then she flicked her head in Duo's direction who was looking at her, "And if I can remember correctly, that baka cannot lie even if his life depends on it."  
  
At this comment, everybody, including Duo started laughing and she received an affirming nod from Heero and decided that she could count on him for not pestering Duo. She would talk to Trowa about it later.  
  
By the end of the evening, all four of them got along pretty well. They had found a common topic for conversation. Duo. Jade and Duo had been in an orphanage together and Duo was busy entertaining them with stories about their orphanage life. When he began talking about Trevor, he caught her eye and changed the subject immediately.  
  
Heero did not mind speaking with her. It felt to him as though she was one of them and not some stranger. It made him feel pretty weird when he realised it. He was not for accepting people that easily. Was that the reason why Trowa was behaving a bit strangely? Who knows? He was going to have to talk to Trowa about it. It was almost 11.30 pm and Jade got up to leave.  
  
"I have to go now," she said.  
  
"Why?" Duo and Trowa said together while Heero raised a questioning eyebrow. Why did she want to leave so abruptly? She sensed it and laughed out, a laugh that Trowa and Heero found strangely silent and musical both at the same time.  
  
"I was working before I came out to meet you guys and I have to finish whatever I was doing before morning."  
  
With that she left to go to her room and wished everyone a good night before she closed the door to her room. Heero and Duo got up to leave too. Trowa followed them to the door. At the door, both of them turned to Trowa with wide grins plastered on their faces. Both of them stood looking at Trowa and he was looking back at them. Nothing was said for a while, and then Trowa said, "Nonsense."  
  
"As you say buddy," Duo said and Heero just shook his head. And the two went into their room.  
  
=============================================================  
  
NOTE: and that's for chapter 6. Hope you liked it. I forgot to mention it in the last chapter, and it seems my beta forgot to look over it too, but the character Jade is my creation. And this fic is basically about the lives of the G-Boys at university. I don't know when the next chapter will be coming out and with school starting; the updates might not be too frequent. Keep reading and reviewing. Love, Devil:-) 


	6. Classes

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

Note: Thank you for reading and thank you if you are continuing to read this fic of mine. Do tell me if you like it or should I stop writing? I don't know how long this chapter will be, but hey! Who cares? Keep reading and reviewing. Love, Devil.

**Chapter 6: Classes**

The weekend was uneventful for our heroes. Heero did nothing but sit in front of his laptop and he disappeared somewhere on Sunday afternoon, but that was pretty normal for him. Duo was trying to catch hold of Hilde and the two of them had gone to the town to watch a movie. Quatre was trying to fix his apartment and trying to talk to Dorothy. Trowa had decided to read a few books. He had also wanted to talk to Jade, but she mysteriously disappeared during the day and reappeared, during the evening after which she spent time in her room, so they didn't get any talking done.

Surprisingly, the weekend went away pretty soon and University started on Monday. Heero and Duo had their classes together. They had Computer Programming in the morning and then Mechanics in late afternoon. Quatre, Hilde and Dorothy had their business in the morning. Psychology was in the early afternoon, followed by the course for empaths. There were other courses offered too, but we only need to concern ourselves with these. Out of all the people that we have been introduced to till now, Quatre and Jade, our two empaths, had the most hectic schedules.

________________________________________________________________

"Get up you baka. Or we will be late," Heero yelled at Duo.

Duo just turned over and murmured something in his sleep. Now was not the time to be tactful, Heero thought. He just sighed a bit and dragged Duo out of his bed by his braid.

"Hey!" Duo was now wide awake and was not at all happy at being treated like that.

Heero let go of Duo's braid when he was sure that the baka was awake.

"Get up and get ready. First class at 0900 hours and it's already 0800." Heero barked at Duo.

"Fine." Duo was still pissed off at Heero for pulling his braid. His braid was one thing that he was very touchy about. 

Duo entered the bathroom when Heero was preparing breakfast. He had been in there fifteen minutes. Heero was getting really impatient now.

"Get the hell out of there. You are not the only one living here," he shouted.

"You try washing long hair in five minutes mister," Duo replied.

"Hn. Be quick. Or else no breakfast. I'll finish it off."

Immediately a wet long haired head popped out of the bathroom.

"What no breakfast? I'll be out in five minutes," he said with a panicked expression. How could he go anywhere without eating?

Heero smiled to himself. This trick always worked on Duo. And sure enough Duo popped out of the bathroom in exactly five minutes with a towel around his waist and another one tied around his head like a turban. Before actually going to his room to put on his clothes, he went into the kitchen to see if Heero had actually saved him some breakfast. Heero just looked up and then he walked towards the bathroom and when he passed Duo in the doorway he just said, "Put some clothes on before you attack the food."

Duo who was still eyeing the breakfast greedily said, "Yes sir."

Heero just shook his head and left. Duo thought it probably was a good idea to go and out on some clothes after all.

After the two were ready it was eight forty-five. The two of them walked to the main building.

________________________________________________________________

Quatre was up early. It was the first day of University and he did not want to be late. As expected, he had trouble with his breakfast. He decided to skip it. He could have lunch directly in the University cafeteria. He was also eager to go to his Business course. He was going to see someone there. (I don't think I need to mention it, but that some one is Dorothy). 

"I wish I had a room mate," he sighed while getting ready. He was really getting bored being all alone in his single apartment. Being the nice guy that he is, he did not want to intrude upon his other friends. He could go and talk to Trowa and Duo and Heero but he did not know Trowa's room mate and it would be rude to just go and ask Trowa to listen to him. And he was not sure if he could exactly handle Heero's intense emotions. Not that he hadn't handled them before but with Duo's extra cheery personality, he would have trouble dealing with two types of feelings all at once. So all he could do was just spend time in his room. He wanted company badly, but did not know how to get it. He would normally spend time with his laptop. He had called his sisters thrice already and he wanted to talk to amber about Dorothy, but then he decided that Iria would normally listen to that sort of chatter, not Amber. It was difficult to choose from so many sisters. But enough about his solitary existence. He was getting ready to go to university. He was all ready by eight in the morning, and his first course was at nine. He decided to walk the grounds to kill time.

________________________________________________________________

Trowa slept in because he did not have any classes in the morning. When he woke up it was already eleven in the morning. 

"Dammit! Only half an hour before I have to get to the University," He muttered to himself. He quickly got out of bed and put on his T-shirt, just in case if his room mate was about. But she wasn't. Must have had a morning class, he thought. He got out of his room and sure enough there was a note posted on his door. Yes, she did have a morning class and she was not going to come back till probably late evening. Why did she have to write all those notes? He didn't care. At least that's what he thought. He scrunched up the note in a small paper ball and threw it in the waste basket. He went and took a shower and had a breakfast of cereal and milk. She hadn't made anything for breakfast it seems. He had psychology first. He would have time to grab a bite to eat during the lunch hour i.e. the time that he had between his two subjects. He quickly got out of his room, locked the door and walked towards the university building.

________________________________________________________________

Hilde and Dorothy were running around their apartment like headless chickens. Hilde could not find her purse and Dorothy could not find the perfect clothes and they were going to be late. Neither of them had anything to eat and they decided to skip breakfast altogether. Finally when they were done (Hilde found her purse but Dorothy was still not dressed to her liking), they left their apartment.

________________________________________________________________

Heero and Duo had Programming first. They knew where the computer lab was and they did not get lost unlike many other people. Heero entered the class first and Duo followed. Duo was looking around the class when he stopped suddenly.

"Hey Heero, isn't that Jade there?"

"Hn."

He had seen her and he had also seen her see them enter. But she looked at them as though they were perfect strangers. Heero knew that trick well. He used it almost everyday. He almost smirked to himself. 

"I think she saw us. But why is she ignoring us?" Duo asked Heero.

"She doesn't want to be bothered," Heero told duo in a flat voice.

"Why would we bother her?"

"I wouldn't but you would."

"I am hurt."

"Baka."

Even though Heero knew that she wanted to be left alone, he decided to go and sit beside her. Duo followed suit and went and sat on her other side. No response. She was busy reading something. Heero smirked.

"Hey what's up Jade?" Duo asked her.

She just ignored him again and continued reading. Heero was watching her and he was till smirking. She reminded him very much of himself, when he first joined the school that Relena had gone to. He ignored Relena in much the same way that Jade was ignoring Duo. Relena. He sighed involuntarily and when he came back to his senses, he found Jade and Duo staring at him as though he had sprouted horns. He turned and gave them his famous death glare. Duo smiled. He was used to Heero's death glare. Jade smiled too.

"You're in love," she told him and resumed whatever she was doing.

Now it was Heero's turn to stare at her like she had two heads. Duo was staring at her too. Nobody spoke to Heero like that. Especially not after he glared at some one like that. And definitely not someone who knew him for only a few days. No way!

Both of them were jolted back to reality by a female voice. And Jade looked up from what she was doing. Their "teacher" had entered. This professor was a small lady. Really tiny and must have been in her fifties. Her name was Mrs. Antunes. She was going to be their programming teacher. She was now giving them some instructions to do something. Nobody actually paid any attention. Heero booted up his computer and so did everybody else. Heero and Duo were done their work pretty soon and started their tinkering. The old lady was busy helping a blonde girl with something. Jade was now reading her book again. It seems she was done her work too. She did not say anything for the rest of the class and neither did Heero and Duo was having trouble sitting still or sitting quietly. He started whistling and not surprisingly received glares from everyone in the class and he shut up. Jade and Heero, however, just continued with what they were doing. The class was uneventful. When it ended, Jade quietly got up and left. Heero and Duo were the last to leave. The two did not have anything else and it was still early for lunch so they decided to go back to their apartment. But Duo wanted to go to the Cafeteria and after about fifteen minutes of arguing with Duo, Heero relented.

________________________________________________________________

Quatre entered his Business class to find Hilde and Dorothy already there. Hilde waved at him when he entered and Dorothy smiled at him. He blushed slightly and took a seat near them. Quatre and Hilde almost jumped out of their seats when they saw their Business teacher.

"Hello students. My name is Lucrezia Noin-Peacecraft," their Teacher introduced themselves.

"Duo was right. It is a weird University for weirdos!" Quatre muttered under his breath. 

"When did she get married anyways?" Hilde asked Dorothy who was a close friend of the Peacecrafts.

"I dunno. They got married somewhere on Mars. It was Milliardo's idea. Nobody knew till they came back here," Dorothy replied nonchalantly. 

"Wasn't she working at the Preventors?" Hilde asked again.

"She is just taking a break from her Preventor's job. She is a Temp here," Dorothy replied.

Quatre who was now looking around the class, found all the male students ogling at Noin and all the females giving her admiring glances.

"I thought she was a soldier, where did she learn business?" Quatre thought out loud. Just then Noin spotted the trio and flashed them a smile. He decided to go and have a talk with her later.

"Business is very much involved with strategy. What you are going to do and how you are going to do it. That's basically all there is to it," Noin started and Quatre realized that she was a former OZ instructor. She had taught the soldiers war strategies.

"What comes next is the different situations where you have to deal with people and finances." She was still ranting on about strategies. Quatre tried to take a few notes, but then gave up.

'Come to think of it, business is very much like war. Just a war of minds,' he thought to himself.

"Understanding human psychology also plays an important part in business transactions." Noin was still talking and had now switched to her soldier-instructor mode. 

 When Quatre looked to his side he saw that Hilde and Dorothy were just blankly staring at Noin. 

'Note to self: Get a tape-recorder to Noin's class. She talks too fast,' he thought.

The class was over and Quatre decided to skip the talk with Noin. He was tired of listening to her talk. Quatre, Hilde and Dorothy left the class together. He just smiled at Noin when he left. He had Psychology next and he was hungry. He went to the cafeteria and bought a box of donuts.

"I am beginning to feel like Duo now," he said to himself while eating his sixth donut. 

"Can I have one of those Q-man?"

Quatre looked up. Duo was standing right in front of him and Heero was coming towards them.

"Hey Duo!"

"Eating donuts is not bad. Can I have one?" Duo asked again with his innocent expression. The only thing on his mind right now was the donut.

"Oh sure!" Quatre replied and handed him the box. Duo immediately started pigging out on the donuts.

"Jerk." You guessed it. That was Heero.

________________________________________________________________

Trowa did not have any morning classes and he inevitably slept in. when he got up he realized that he had only half an hour to get to university. He quickly got out of bed and put on a shirt. Just in case his room mate was around. He rushed out of his room and as expected, there was a note on his door. She had a morning class and she would not be back till late evening.

"Why does she have to write these notes? I don't care," he muttered to himself irritably and scrunched up the note in a ball and threw it in the waste paper basket. He showered and decided to skip breakfast. It was too late fro breakfast anyway. He would have lunch during his free time between his two classes. That's what the cafeteria was for, right? 

He was early for class. He went in and took up a seat at the back of the class from where he could watch the people that entered. He had been sitting in his place for only a short while when he saw Quatre enter. Quatre was rubbing his temples and yawning. He saw Trowa and immediately brightened up. He went and sat down beside Trowa.

"Did you have a class before this?" Trowa asked Quatre with a smile.

"Yes. Business. Noin was the professor," Quatre informed him, his tired expression returning.

"NOIN?!?!" Trowa practically shouted. "What's she doing here?"

"Teaching business. To her business and war is one and the same. You should hear her teach."

"I thought she was working at the Preventors." 

"She was. She is a temp here. And she got married," Quatre told him.

"To Zechs?"

Quatre only nodded. Just then Trowa saw Jade enter the class. She was wearing black jeans and a maroon top. She walked in and sat down a few seats away from Trowa. She made no attempt to come and talk to him and so he coolly ignored her.

"Isn't she your room mate?" Quatre asked.

"Yes." And as if reading Quatre's mind he added, "She is an empath. You will meet her sooner or later."

Before Quatre could say anything, their Psychology professor entered. He was a tall old man, and he was balding. He appeared a friendly, fatherly person. He introduced himself as Mr. Siminghton. The professor did not hurry and Quatre was glad. He could take notes this time. The class was pretty uneventful. After the class ended, Trowa and Quatre left immediately. Both of them were really hungry and it was time for lunch. The made their way to the Cafeteria. They were eating and talking in general. Both of them had classes for late afternoon. The cafeteria was unusually crowded.

"You go get something to eat. I'll find a place to sit," Trowa told Quatre.

"Ok," Quatre replied and headed off to get some thing to eat.

"Now to find a place to sit."

He looked around the crowded area and spotted a few empty seats and then he saw Jade sitting all alone at a table near the corner. She was reading something and eating fries. He smiled to himself and walked towards her.

"May I sit here?" He asked her.

"Sure. Please have a seat," she said without looking up from her book.

He smiled again at her total engrossment in her book.

"So which book are you reading?" He asked her.

"A classic: Little Women," she replied again without looking up.

He saw Quatre standing in the middle of the Cafeteria, with a tray in his hand, trying to find Trowa.

"Hey Quatre. Here," Trowa yelled and waved.

Jade almost jumped in her seat.

"Oh hi! Didn't notice you there," she said finally looking up.

"You were too busy reading," he told her and smiled.

"Sorry," she said and grinned.

Quatre reached them. Put down the tray and held out his hand blushing slightly.

"Hello, my name is Quatre Raberba Winner," He said.

She took his extended hand and smiled at him," My name is Jade. Just Jade. A pleasure to meet you."

He relaxed visibly after that.

"Trowa told us that you were his room mate," Quatre said.

"I am and I met two of your friends already, one of them is already my friend," she told him. She had put down the book now and was talking to the two. Quatre looked at Trowa confusingly.

"She means Heero and Duo," he informed Quatre.

"You never told me that!" Quatre looked at Trowa in disbelief.

"Must have slipped my mind," Trowa said as though it was no big deal and to tell the truth, it wasn't.

She just gave Trowa a quizzical look as though she didn't entirely believe him, but decided to drop the subject anyway.

"So what subjects do you have Miss Jade?" Quatre asked her.

"Jus call me Jade. And I have Computer Programming, Psychology and I am also an empath."

"Yes, I remember seeing you in the psychology class," Quatre said.

"I take it, Trowa here refused to introduce me?" She said looking at Trowa.

"Huh?" Trowa wasn't paying attention.

"Heh, heh…Yes, he refused to do the introductions," Quatre said.

"He isn't very communicative, is he?" She asked Quatre.

"He takes time."

"I figured as much. It's a wonder in itself, that he came and sat down here," she said.

"It's better than sitting with complete strangers," Trowa said.

"I am honoured, Trowa Barton," She said sarcastically.

"Don't mention it."

"Guys? Don't you think we should be leaving? Classes start in about 10 minutes," Quatre interrupted their conversation.

"Yes, I think we should. Even though I would prefer arguing with you," Jade said.

Trowa smiled and the three of them got up.

"Can you lend me the book when you are done?" Trowa asked all of a sudden when they were walking out of the Cafeteria.

"Hn?"

"The book. After you are done reading."

"Oh sure. I'll probably be done by tonight."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"I think we part ways now," Quatre interrupted again.

"Ok. See you later." And Trowa left towards his mechanics class. And the two of them headed towards the emphatic faculty.

"When did you know that you were an empath Jade?" Quatre asked her. Even he had taken a liking to her.

"I don't know. Sometime during the war. What about you?" She asked seriously. She seemed different. It was as though she had undergone a sudden change.

"I'm sorry. I seem to have brought up bad memories," Quatre apologised. After all he too was an empath.

"No, don't apologise. Its just memories. I can't let them rule my life," she said quietly and then with a sudden change in her manner she asked, "When did you know you were an empath?"

"During the wars," he said and when he looked up, she was looking at him intently, somewhat questioningly. As though she knew it wasn't the complete truth.

"I was a Gundam Pilot. I fought in the wars. In a way, I helped start them," he said sadly. 

She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw her giving him an understanding look.

"You don't have to blame yourself for what happened. Everything happens for a reason and no one is to blame. What has happened has happened," she told him calmly.

"Thanks," He said with a weak smile.

"Don't mention it. That's what friends are for."

He hadn't known her for more than a few minutes, but he didn't mind having her for a friend. As a matter of fact he rather liked having her for a friend. The rest of the way, they walked in silence. Both of them were thinking about what they had talked. Quatre felt she was older than her years. Something made him feel that she had been through a lot and survived. What was it? Was it her intense gaze? Or was it the conversation that they just had.

"Stop thinking about me."

He was immediately jarred back to reality.

"Hn?"

She was smiling at him.

"I could feel your confusion and you could logically be thinking of only one thing: what we just talked about."

 "Remind me I am not the only empath here," he said with a smile.

"Never mind. We are here."

They walked in. This class was totally different from the other classes. It was almost thrice as big and had a homey feeling to it. The chairs were arranged in a big circle. Both of them entered warily and took a seat somewhere in the circle. When the class finally started a few minutes later. Quatre actually got the shock of his life. It was more like a talk show than anything. People came out in the middle of the class and talked to others and asked questions and stuff. It was in a way…weird. But it was good nevertheless. Their Professor explained that to learn how to control your emphatic abilities, it was necessary for you to be comfortable. It made sense.

________________________________________________________________

Trowa walked in silence towards his mechanics class. He was thinking about the incident in the Cafeteria. She was so engrossed in her book, she didn't even notice him and she was an empath…For God's Sake. She stumped him sometimes. Well, almost all the times. How long had he known her anyway? A few days? But he liked her anyways. He absently smiled at a girl in the corridor.

'Did I just smile...At a girl? Something's wrong with me,' he thought and shook his head and continued walking. He walked in the class and found Heero and Duo already there. He went and took a seat by them. 

"How are things, Clown boy?" Duo asked him jokingly.

"Quatre's in my Psychology class and so is Jade," he told them.

"Jade?" Heero asked.

"She is in our Programming class," Duo exclaimed.

"I met…" he stopped in mid-sentence.

"ZECHS!?!" all three of them exclaimed.

"What the hell's he doing here?" Trowa muttered under his breath.

Heero just glared at him and Duo was staring at him. Dumbstruck.

"Hello. My name is Milliardo Peacecraft and I will be your Professor for this subject."

"He is going to be our professor?!" Heero muttered to himself. "He is going to teach me?"

"Aww… c'mon. He's not that bad," Duo told Heero.

Duo had a point. Zechs, or Milliardo as he now called himself, had always been reasonable. And now the war was over. He decided to let go. But it would be interesting to meet an old acquaintance, not as an opponent, but as a teacher. Zechs skipped the talk and jumped directly to the practicals and he began with labelling mobile suit parts.

"I thought all the mobile suit parts were destroyed," Trowa muttered.

"No, only the weapons," Heero answered.

"Hehehe… what do you think they use at the Scrap yard? The place is littered with junk MS parts," Duo informed them.

"Yes, this Mobile suit was reconstructed from those parts, without the weapons of course."  

All three of them turned back to see the origin of the voice. Zechs was standing there smiling at the three.

"It's been a long time," he said.

"Hn."

"Yes, long time indeed."

"Hey Zechs, your hair is longer. Almost as long as mine."

"Now that you mention it, I have to get a hair cut."

"Where did you get the parts?" Heero asked Zechs.

"Oh, the place is littered with them. I wanted in to put in dud weapons too but Relena and Noin would take nothing of it," He answered offhandedly.

"How is she?" Heero asked again.

"Relena's fine. Just busy," he answered. Still looking at the MS. He then looked at Heero, who was also looking at the MS and smiled.

"Talk to you guys later. Someone needs help there," he said and left.

"Hn."

"See he's not that bad."

"No, he isn't."

"He should really get a hair cut, or at least get it trimmed." Duo was still looking at the retreating figure. Trowa started laughing and Heero joined in.

"What?" Duo looked stumped.

"Nothing," Trowa answered.

"I can make people laugh without even trying. Go me!" Duo muttered to himself.

=============================================================

Note: and that's for chapter 6. I hope you liked it. I am sorry this took so long, but I had a bad (and I mean real BAD) writer's block. Been thinking too many things lately and with school starting, its going to get bad. But I do hope you like this chappie. I have already started on the 7th chapter and I hope, it will be out soon. Please read and review. Love, Devil.


	7. A friday night

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

Note: This chapter is long again. Aargh! I hate school. I know this chapter is a bit crappy, but please cope. I know it's confusing too. Sorry for that. But please read and review. Anything is appreciated. Feel free to flame, curse, swear or comment on this chapter and its contents. If you think I should stop writing, say so. Love, Devil.

**Chapter 7: A Friday Night.**

We now move on to the second week of life at University. That evening after the classes were over, our friends were free to go back. 

Today is Friday, Duo decided to look for Hilde and Heero decided to spend time with his trusty laptop. Trowa wanted to go back and read something. He also wanted to be a bit friendlier with his room mate. Hilde and Dorothy had Drama in the afternoon and they enjoyed it. Hilde immediately agreed to go with Duo somewhere and Dorothy went back alone. Jade had asked Quatre if he would like to accompany her to the Grocery and General store after they left their class and since he had nothing better to do he agreed. He didn't feel that awkward with her as he did with other girls. She reminded him of his sisters. 

________________________________________________________________

Heero was happily typing away at his laptop, when Duo burst in.

"You won't believe what I saw," he exclaimed.

Heero was still typing away, as though he did not hear what Duo had to say. Duo decided to continue anyway.

"I saw Q-man with Jade."

"So?"

"So nothing. I just saw them."

"What's so unbelievable in that?"

"Quatre was walking and talking with a girl, without blushing. That's what's new."

"Hn."

Heero just looked up at Duo with his expressionless face and then resumed typing. A long silence followed. It was broken by Duo.

"Watcha typing buddy?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

Silence. Apparently Duo had nothing better to do.

"I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

"It's your turn today."

"'k. I'll go make something to eat."

'Good. Silence for sometime now,' Heero thought to himself. Then he thought about what Duo had just said.

"That girl sure has a way to put people at ease," He muttered under his breath.

"You said something?" Duo's face peeked out from the Kitchen.

"Nothing. Get back to cooking. And make sure there's no hair in the food."

Duo just grinned foolishly and went back in. Heero smiled to himself. It was good to have Duo around.  

________________________________________________________________

"Would you like to come with me to the General Store? I have to get a few things."

Quatre thought about this for a while. He had nothing better to do and he would probably bore himself to death all by himself at his apartment. So he agreed.

"Sure."

When the two of them reached the general store, she asked," Do you have to buy something or would you like to accompany me?"

"No, I don't have to get anything."

"Do you cook?"

He blushed. "Why do all girls have to ask me that?"

"So I take it that you don't cook?"

"Yes…I mean, no. No, I don't cook."

"So what do you eat?"

"Take out?" he offered helpfully.

She laughed. 

"Do one thing. Why don't you come to my or rather my shared apartment for dinner tonight? It would be fun to have friends over."

They were now at the Cashier's. 

"I couldn't impose on you," he answered with his head bent. He was blushing slightly.

"You don't have to pretend Quatre," she reminded him.

It did sound like a good offer and he hadn't had home made food in the last few days.

"And I rather pride myself on my culinary skills. So rest assured."

After a long while, he finally said, "Ok."

They left the building together.

"So how about 8.30?" She asked.

"Fine." It was four in the afternoon right now.

They reached Quatre's apartment first.

"Would you like to come in?"

"No, thank you. I have to go somewhere actually. Some other time maybe?"

"Sure, anytime."

"I should be going. See you later."

And before he could say anything she left.

________________________________________________________________

Trowa was sitting on the couch reading a book. He heard the door open.

"Hi Trowa." And without waiting for a response, she went and dropped the bags that she was carrying in the kitchen. She then went to her room, picked a duffel bag and left with a, "Bye Trowa."

"Uh…Jade?"

But she was already out of the room. Then he heard the door open.

"We are having a guest over for dinner. 8.30. Be back in two hours."

And before he could say anything, she left again. He just looked at the door for a while and shrugged. What she did was none of his business. He was still deeply engrossed in his book when she returned. He hadn't moved.

"Still reading?"

He looked up to see her smiling at him, her long braid wet with sweat. He smiled in response.

"I'm done reading the book. You can have it if you want."

"Ok. I'll take it when I am done reading this book."

"I'm going to take a shower and I might take a while." And with that she disappeared in the bathroom. 

He was expecting her to take at least an hour or so, but she was out in fifteen minutes. Wearing a bath robe and a towel tied around her head like a turban. She went in her room and locked the door. When she came out, she was dressed in her pyjamas and a T-shirt and her long wet hair hung down upon her back. She flopped down on the couch beside him. And a strand of wet hair slapped his arm.

"Hey watch it."

"Sorry."

"What's for dinner?" He asked her, finally looking up from his book.

"Food."

"What food?"

"Spaghetti and Meatballs, with salad for starters."

"Sounds good. So who's the guest?"

"Quatre."

He gave her a quizzical look and then realisation dawned upon him. He could not cook. Suddenly, they heard a loud band, but both of them ignored it.

"Need help?" he asked her.

"No thanks, I can manage. I think I should start actually. It's already six thirty."

"Where did you keep the book?"

"It's on my table," she answered while disappearing in to the kitchen.

He was getting up to go to her room when he heard the door knock. He answered the door. He found Duo standing in the doorway, covered in soot, with Heero pointing a gun at the back of his head.

"Uh…Trowa…can you help me please?" Duo asked nervously and rolled his eyes in Heero's direction.

Jade had now come out of the kitchen and was leaning against the doorjamb.

"Care to explain what happened?" she asked the three.

"Baka blew up the kitchen," Heero answered in a monotone, still trying to bore holes in Duo's head with his eyes.

"Come in." Trowa said. "And you can put the gun down Heero."

"Hn." But he put down the gun nevertheless.

"Take a seat," Jade told them.

"No thanks," Duo replied.

"So what exactly happened?" Trowa asked.

"HE BLEW UP THE ENTIRE KITCHEN!" Heero yelled, reaching for the gun again.

"Hold it!" 

Heero looked up and sat back down.

"How did he blow up the kitchen?" Jade asked. Trowa went to get the book from Jade's table. He looked at Duo. Duo looked like a deer caught in the headlights and then he looked at Heero. A vein in Heero's temple was throbbing. Trowa just shook his head and entered Jade's room. Duo always managed to tick Heero off.  He was now in Jade's room.

"How exactly did he blow up the kitchen?" Jade's voice reached his ears. 

Her table had papers piled in one corner and a laptop on the major portion of the table, but he could not find the book.

"Well…you see, the oven stopped working and I opened it up," Duo started nervously.

"He blew up the goddamned kitchen," Heero yelled.

"Just a sec Heero. Let me hear what this baka has to say," Jade said.

"That's right buddy. Let me speak."

"DUO!" it was Jade who yelled this time.

"Yes, Sorry. And I was trying to fix the oven and start it up, when the whole thing went 'BOOM'."

"You tried to 'start it up'?" Jade asked in disbelief.

"Well…yeah."

"Duo fixing an oven is not like hot-wiring a car. So what do you want?"

"Jade, where is it? It's not on the table," Trowa spoke up. He was standing in the doorway to her room.

"Check the cupboard above the table. Should be there." She then turned to Duo and repeated her question.

"Well, could you let us use your kitchen by the time our's is fixed?" Duo made big puppy dog eyes and gave the best innocent look that he could give.

Heero was still glaring at Duo. Jade just watched the two of them and then laughed. Heero finally stopped glaring at Duo and looked at her.

"Of course I can. As a matter of fact, you can eat here till you fix your kitchen, but on one condition. STAY AWAY FROM THE OVEN."

Duo breathed a sigh of relief and Heero smirked. It was as if all was well, when

"Wha… ACK!" and a loud thunk, thunk, thunk.

It was Trowa. All three of them rushed to Jade's room. He room was a sight. Trowa was trying to hold up a big pile of papers and other things that were falling down on him. There were papers on the ground and two fifteen pound dumbbells and a ten pound one, the other ten pound one was in Trowa's hands, among the pile of papers. 

"Help…me," Trowa managed to say from under all that.

"I guess, I should really organise this stuff," Jade said to herself and Duo started laughing and Heero smirked but soon followed suit.

"Just let everything fall, I'll give it to you when I find it." With that she walked out of the room. He did as he was told and an even bigger pile of things collapsed onto the floor.

"Holy…That was something," Trowa muttered when he got out of the way of the falling papers and other stuff. A stiff silence followed, when everyone was surveying the mess.

"What were you doing in her room anyway? And what was that 'it' you were talking about?" Heero asked Trowa slyly.

"Trying to find a book?" Trowa offered.

"Hn."

"Way to go Trowa," Duo muttered. 

"Don't even go there," Trowa muttered to Duo menacingly.

"Why does she have weights in her cupboard?" Heero asked.

"Weight training?" Duo offered.

"15 pounds?" Heero asked.

"Fifteen pounds in not a lot."

All three of them turned around. She was standing behind them. 

"You heard our conversation?" Duo asked.

"The last part," she answered.

"You done your cooking already?"

"Yes. The last part can be handled when you people are ready to eat," she answered. She then climbed up on the table and turned to the three, who were staring at her.

"You three can help me organise this stuff. Call it repayment if you like."

With that she started removing the rest of the things from the cupboard. She took out a few extra weights and handed them to Duo.

"What do you have all this for?" he asked her while taking the weights from her.

"Weight training?"

"A girl does not need to train with weights this heavy."

"And since when have I started behaving like a normal girl?" she asked Duo.

"Sorry, I forgot you were Jade."

Trowa and Heero looked at each other and just shrugged.

"Don't bother."

"Yeah, right. Don't bother. This girl has always been weird," Duo told his friends.

"Too true."

She had now jumped down from the table and was organising the papers on the floor into piles. All of them were sitting on the floor cross-legged trying to help her.

"Why do you have accounting books for Jade?" Duo asked her.

"Just an interest," She answered nonchalantly.

Heero was looking at another book and a pile of papers.

"What's this?" he asked her.

"A secret?" She offered.

"Hn."

"I found the book." Trowa was going through the first few pages of the book.

"Good, keep it."

"You have many good books here. You like reading?"

"Why else would I have so many books?"

Duo snickered and Heero snorted. Just then there was a knock on the door. 

"Can anyone of you answer it?"

Duo jumped up and went to answer the door.

"Duo?"

"Hey Quatre, come on in."

Quatre entered.

"Am I in the right place?"

"You sure are," Trowa told him. Every one of them was now out in the living room. 

"These two are unexpected guests," Jade told him. "I guess I should go and get the food ready. I'm hungry." With that she walked into the kitchen. The four of them just looked at each other. It had been a while since they had made new friends and their newest friend was a girl.

"I can't wait till she meets Wufei," Duo said with a grin.

"Come and get it!" Jade yelled from the kitchen.

Nobody needed telling twice. They entered the kitchen and were pushed back out.

"Duo Maxwell, do not enter the kitchen," Jade yelled at Duo and Heero started laughing. "Anyways, there isn't enough place for everyone. It's just a table for two or three people at the most. I think we would be better off outside."

She picked up a place and started ladling the spaghetti out on her plate. Trowa followed suit, while the others just looked at the two. She turned around and said, "Help yourself. Don't expect me to do the serving and wash the plates after you are done and there's salad too if you want."

"You are supposed to serve your guests," Duo told her.

"You are not guests, you are friends," and with that she walked out of the kitchen. The three looked at Trowa and he just shrugged. He walked out too. Heero, Duo and Quatre helped themselves to the spaghetti and meatball dinner and headed out of the kitchen. Jade was sitting on the carpet, leaning against the wall, with legs out in front of her and had switched on the television; Trowa was sitting on the couch.

"Make yourself at home and I hope you like the food," Jade said when she saw the three of them enter the hall/living room. She was way too free with strangers. Well, almost strangers. She had the no one can harm me attitude and Heero couldn't help but ask, "Don't you feel threatened with four guys around the house?"

"Give me a good reason to feel threatened," she replied, looking him directly in the eyes. Her eyes held some sort of a challenge, a question maybe.

He went and sat down beside her. Like right beside her and continued eating. Duo settled himself on the carpet and was leaning against the couch and Quatre sat down on the couch beside Trowa. Everybody was silent and were watching the television. Quatre broke the silence.

"This is really good Jade."

"Thanks," she replied.

"Can I have seconds?" Duo asked

"Since when did you start asking?" Trowa asked Duo.

"Of course you can. As a matter of fact I am going to have seconds too." And she got up. "Anybody need anything to drink? Drinks are in the refrigerator. Take anything you want."

She went into the kitchen and Duo followed.

"You really are a good cook. What's the secret?" He asked her

"I like eating good food, so I cook good food."

"Sounds logical." Heero had followed the two.

"Seconds?"

"No, I am done." He walked over to the sink and washed his dish. He then walked over to the fridge and picked a can of beer. After Duo had heaped his plate for the second time, he too picked up a beer and Jade took out a bottle of water. All three of them walked out together. 

"Jade, could I have some iced tea?" Quatre asked her.

"And a beer for me please," Trowa told her.

"You live here. Get it yourself."

Quatre snickered. She left her plate on the coffee table and went in to get Quatre's iced tea. Trowa followed. She hadn't noticed.

She opened the door and looked for a can of iced tea. She found it. She was about to reach fro it when Trowa's hand reached forward to grab a beer. 

"Hey."

"What? I'm just getting my beer."

"Ok. Ok."

"Could I talk to you after they leave?"

"Sure. Now if you'll please excuse me." 

He moved a just a bit to give her room to leave. He then left the kitchen and went back to eating.

Jade was sitting in her earlier place and Heero was sitting beside her. Trowa thought it was strange for a person who preferred to be alone to sit beside Jade. 

"So you still do not feel threatened by the four of us?" Heero asked her again.

"No, why should I?" She asked him.

"Would it make a difference if I told you we were Gundam pilots?"

"I knew that already. And give me a good reason to fear the Gundam pilots. You are human, aren't you? Albeit different." This time she looked him straight in the eye and he just nodded. There was something about her intense gaze, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Most of the girls he knew would be terrified out of their wits to be with four seeming strangers, but she carried on as though she dealt with such a thing everyday.

"You are right."

"Huh?" he was shaken out of his thoughts.

"I said you were right, I am used to living with boys. I grew up in an orphanage where almost all the residents were boys. And I trust you people to not do anything funny, if you know what I mean."

He nodded. 

"And fending for and defending yourself on the streets for so long also teaches you a few things. But you should know that well."

"Hn."

After Dinner was done and they had ice-cream for pudding, Quatre, Duo and Heero got up to leave.

"I think I should be going now. It's pretty late," Quatre said finally getting up.

"It's Saturday tomorrow. You could stay a bit longer if you want," Trowa said.

"Thanks, but I am sleepy. Sorry."

"We could stay if you want," Duo said.

"Sure. Just don't fall asleep here."

"Hn."

Before Quatre left, she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

"You don't mean it?"

"Of course I do. See you tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. The more the merrier. Good night."

"Good night everyone."

After he left, she turned to the others.

"So what do you want to do?"

"Just chill," Duo replied.

"I'm going to go and clean up the mess in my room. Do whatever you like." And she left.

 After she had left, the two turned to Trowa.

"That's some room mate that you have," Duo remarked.

"I know. But I doubt if she is really that carefree," Trowa replied now staring at the closed door.

"Same thing that I was thinking. She is different," Heero said.

"Very different," Trowa replied. 

"She always was different. She was the only girl who got into fights with guys at the orphanage. She was the tomboy if there ever was one. She still is in a way. Jade."

"Did Hilde meet her?"

"No, she will meet her when the time comes. I think I'll introduce the two tomorrow."

"Guess we should be leaving."

"She knows. Knows what we have been through. I know that," Heero said.

"She is different," Trowa agreed.

"Yeah… Good night. I would like to say good night to Jade," Duo said and went to her room. Heero followed. He opened her door just a crack and found her typing away at her laptop.

"Good night Jade," Duo said.

"Leaving already?" Jade looked up from what she was doing. She then came out of the room.

"Thanks for the food, Jade," Duo said and gave Jade a big bear hug. She returned the hug.

"Don't mention it Duo."

"Thank you Jade," Heero said.

"Anytime Heero, anytime. That's what friends are for."

She then gave him an unexpected hug and he found himself returning it.

"I'll be there if you feel like talking," she told him.

"Hn."

"Good night."

"Good night."

The two left. 

"Jade, I have to talk to you," Trowa told her.

"Yes, let me just get my laptop out. Then we can talk here."

She returned with her laptop.

"It's unlikely for you to start a conversation," she said and jarred him from his thoughts. She took a seat beside him on the couch.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" she asked him.

Silence. She turned and found him looking at her as if in a trance and she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. He just shook his head.

"So what is it that you want to talk about?"

"Nothing. Anything."

"It's ok. I understand. You don't have to try hard to be friends with me," she told him.

"It's not that. It's just that…I don't know what it is."

"I understand. It takes time. It takes time to change and accept things. But you learn to do it eventually," She spoke wistfully. He noticed.

"You have been through a lot, haven't you?" Trowa asked her.

"So have you," she told him. "I can feel it within you. You find it hard to trust people and I don't blame you."

"…"

"We can talk about it when you are ready. Better go get some sleep." She then gave his hand a friendly squeeze and then went to her room.

He went to his room and got into his bed. He lay tossing and turning. He could not sleep.

'She is different. I feel a connection with her. The same kind that I share with the other pilots, especially Quatre. Is it something to do with empaths? No, those two aren't the only empaths. But she is different. She understands. It's as though she has been through what we have been through. But why am I running away?' he thought. He was trying to think of answers to the last question. He had never told anyone about his life. No one understood him. No, that was not true. Catherine and Quatre understood him. He hardly remembered his life. And so on. He even came up with the thought that he was attracted to her, but dismissed it, blaming it on the hormones. His train of thoughts was interrupted by a noise in the kitchen. He checked the luminous dial of his watch. It was three in the morning. What was she doing up so late? He heard another noise, this time a louder one. She sure as hell couldn't expect him to sleep through this noise. He got out of bed. He didn't bother to put on a shirt. He went to the kitchen and saw her making something.

"What are you doing up so late?" He asked her.

"I couldn't sleep. Sorry I woke you up with all this noise," she said apologetically.

"Don't apologise, I wasn't able to sleep either."

"So I have company."

He just smiled.

"Would you like some warm milk?" she asked him.

"No, thanks."

He was still watching her. She was in her pyjama pants and a loose T-shirt. Her hair was not in the usual long braid and he had a sudden urge to stroke those ebony curls. They looked so soft and shiny. He decided not to do anything of the sort when she came up to him with a steaming hot mug of milk and looked at him.

"Would you like to come to my room? We can talk there. It's much more convenient than standing in the kitchen like this."

He was inclined to agree. He followed her into her room. The mess from the evening was gone. He just stood there. She went and sat on the chair and booted up her laptop.

"You can sit on the bed if you like. It's better than standing," she told him.

He went and sat down on the bed. Reclined actually. 

"Would you like something to read?" she asked him.

"No."

"Then what would you like to do?"

"Talk."

"Ok."

"…"

"So what kept you up?" she asked.

"Hn?"

"People don't normally stay awake unless their minds are working overtime."

"I was thinking about what we talked about to night."

"Ey?"

"Or rather what you said tonight."

"Oh! So that was keeping you up?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, I guess it's my fault that you are up."

"No. It's not."

"You are confused."

"What?"

"You are confused."

"I guess you are right. I am confused."

"You need time to figure things out."

"I need help."

"Stop running away."

"You are right. But I don't know how."

"You won't know unless you know what it is that you are running away from. Do you know that?" she now had the same look in her eyes that she had this evening. The same intensity. It was as though she could see right through him. He just nodded.

"Ask yourself that question. Do you know what you are running away from?"

"I am running away from everything."

"That is not true. There is a lot to live for even if your life seems empty at the moment." She sighed.

"I believe you."

She just smiled.

"So why were you up?" He asked her.

"I don't know. I couldn't sleep."

"People don't normally stay awake unless their minds are working overtime." He mimicked her exactly.

Jade laughed.

"You really want to know?" she asked him.

"I want a fair exchange."

"Ok then. I was thinking about you."

"Me?"

"Yes you."

"…"

"I'll tell you when I am ready to tell you."

'I just want to see you happy Trowa. I want you to be a complete person and I will do what I can to help you,' she thought to herself.

"Hn."

She just continued to type away. No one spoke for a long time. Jade finished her milk and was going to put away her mug.

"Trowa, I'll be…" Trowa was sleeping soundly on her bed. She smiled to herself and covered him up with a blanket. 

=============================================================

Author's note: And that's for chapter 7. I know it's not much. It's confusing and leads nowhere. But please be patient. Reviews help. I don't know when the next chapters will be coming out. I'll try my best, but School does not help. It really does not. But anyways, I'll try my best. Please, please, please review. Love ya, Devil.


	8. The World is Full of Surprises

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

                                    **Chapter 8: The World is Full of Surprises**

The bed was nice and warm. It was nice, but… but the window was on the wrong side. The sun was supposed to fall on his feet not on his face. Ummm. Delicious sleep. He turned around and faced the wall. Wrong place for the wall. It was supposed to be over his head, not on his side. Sleep is so nice. He pulled the blanket up to his chin. It was so thick and warm and soft, so unlike his coarse woollen blanket. He turned around and felt the sunlight straight in his face. Where was he? The Sun was definitely not so evil in his room. He woke up groggily and looked around with sleepy eyes. This was definitely not his room.

"Where am I?" He asked himself. His voice was all husky due to the sleep.

"You are up pretty early for one who slept so late." 

This voice, he knew this voice. He turned around on his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows. He saw Jade sitting in front of her study table typing away at the laptop.

"Sleep well?" she asked again, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"What am I doing in your bed?" he asked her now sitting up.

"You fell asleep last night. So I did not wake you up," she said finally looking at him.

"If I slept in your bed, where did you sleep?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Right beside you. It's my bed after all," she replied nonchalantly.

"Chill. I was only kidding. I could not sleep last night," she said when she saw the appalled look in his eyes, though his face remained expressionless.

He relaxed visibly. (A/N: If you have read the last chapter, you would have figured out by now that 'He' is Trowa)

Then he appeared confused again.

"If you didn't sleep what did you do?"

Just then there was a knock on the door. Jade shut down her laptop and went to answer the door.

________________________________________________________________

            There was a knock on the door and Jade went to answer it. Trowa had said something, but she really did not hear it. Trowa was in something of a slight shock on waking up in her bed.

She absently opened the door. Duo and Heero were standing there.

"Breakfast," Heero said in a monotone. Duo was grinning widely.

"Oh! Good morning to you too," Jade said.

"Hn. 'morning."

"Good Morning. Where's clown boy? And where's breakfast?" Duo asked.

"Clown boy's sleeping and I have yet to start breakfast. But do come in."

"It's 10.30 in the morning. What were you doing?" Heero asked her.

"I was working. But what were you doing? You could have come earlier."

"It took me a while to wake him up," Heero said and gestured towards Duo with his head who was fingering the various objects beside the television. He found the touch lamp strangely amusing and was busy playing with it. 

"Fast-fast-fast. Slow-slow-slow. Fast-Fast. Slow-Slow." Duo was muttering to himself while playing with the touch lamp.

"Duo please leave that poor lamp alone," Jade requested and threw him a Rubik's cube. "Amuse yourself with this."

"Hey, I never knew you had these things with you," He said deftly catching the thrown object.

"So what do you want for breakfast?"

"How 'bout pancakes?" Duo asked. 

"'k." and she disappeared into the Kitchen. Heero watched Duo for a while and then followed Jade into the kitchen. He was making her cook for them and the least he could do was help her.

"Oh Hi!" she greeted him when she saw him enter the kitchen.

"I can help you," he told her.

"I didn't know you could cook."

"Hn." But after a while he replied. "I can make pancakes."

"Where did you learn to make pancakes?"

"I can cook."

"You can?"

"Hn."

She smiled. He watched her smile from the corner of his eyes.

___________________________________________________________________

Duo was happily playing with the Rubik's cube. No matter what he did, he could not solve it and it was enough to keep him occupied. He was twisting the Cube, when he saw someone standing in the door to Jade's room. He looked up. That some one was Trowa. Shirtless, in his pyjamas, hair all tousled from sleep and in Jade's room! Duo just gaped at him and Trowa was fixing Duo with his stare. Trowa broke the silence and brought Duo back to reality.

"What are you staring at?" Trowa asked coldly.

"It's always the quite ones. I knew it." Duo said. He was recovering and his smirk was widening into a big grin. And then he started laughing.

"What were you doing in Jade's room, buddy? In that attire?" Duo asked mischievously.

Then realisation dawned on Trowa. He paled visibly and Duo started laughing. It was the first time that Duo had seen Trowa actually go pale.

"I did not sleep with her," Trowa told Duo bluntly, colour returning to his pale cheeks. As a matter of fact, too much colour. He was blushing. Duo laughed even harder.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes."

"And where is your shirt?" Duo asked him, still laughing.

"My shirt is in my room. I went to her room at around three in the morning."

"Three in the morning!" Duo exclaimed and howled again with laughter.

Trowa realised his mistake and was now looking anywhere but at Duo.

He said, "I can explain," and then went to his room to get his shirt. He wouldn't want to worsen the situation when Jade and Heero came out of the kitchen.

___________________________________________________________________

Heero and Jade were busy making Pancakes.

"Heero could you find the syrup? It has to be somewhere in those cupboards."

"Hn."

He went to the kitchen cupboards and started looking for the syrup. All of a sudden the sound of Duo's laughter reached the two of them.

"What's that idiot laughing for now?" Jade asked herself.

"Only one way to find out," Heero said and went and stood behind the Kitchen door. He opened it just a crack so that he could hear Duo talk, but he was still well hidden behind the door. Jade followed him. She was way shorter than him so he allowed her to stand in front of him, the pancakes forgotten for a while.

"What were you doing in Jade's room, buddy? In that attire?" they heard Duo say. And then louder laughing. 

Heero opened the door just a bit wider so that he could see Trowa's "attire". Heero was as shocked as Duo and he stared at the back of Jade's head.

She immediately said, "We did not sleep together. Don't get any wrong ideas."

At the same time they heard Trowa say, "I did not sleep with her."

"Then what was he doing in your room?" Heero asked her.

"Shhh."

"My shirt is in my room. I went to her room at around three in the morning," they heard Trowa say.

"Then what was he doing in you room at three in the morning?" Heero asked again.

"Talking and then sleeping," she said shortly. 

"I did not sleep. I couldn't. I'm an insomniac. So I let him sleep on my bed," she said when she saw Heero still looking at her.

"Hn" he believed her.

"Oh! And he already has a girlfriend," she added as an afterthought.

Heero was shocked.

"Don't be shocked. He has a girlfriend. I wonder why he didn't tell you guys."

___________________________________________________________________

Duo was still laughing his ass off.

"Leave the poor guy alone."

He abruptly sat up and stopped laughing. Jade and Heero were standing in the Kitchen door.

"We did not sleep together. I am an insomniac. I did not sleep yesterday."

Duo could tell that this was a wrong time to argue or make fun of Jade. When she was this serious, she was definitely telling the truth.

"Sorry."

"It's Ok. He was shocked too when I told him I slept beside him." Before anyone could say anything, she quickly added, "It was a joke."

"Hn"

"Ok"

"Breakfast is ready."

"So soon?" 

"Yes." The sternness and coldness vanished and Jade said with a smile, "Come soon or else I won't leave anything for you." 

She beat Duo to the pancakes, but Duo grabbed the syrup. She was trying to grab the syrup but Duo was taller than her and she had trouble getting to it.

"What are they doing?"

Heero, who was busy watching the two play with the Syrup bottle and the pancakes, hadn't noticed Trowa walk into the kitchen. He had his shirt on and his face and his expression were back to normal. 

"Fighting over food," he replied in a monotone.

Trowa just walked ahead and took the syrup from Duo's hand and the pancakes that Jade was carrying and walked out of the kitchen. Heero smirked and followed Trowa. Duo and Jade just stood there staring at each other, shrugged after a while and followed the two out of the kitchen.

"Hey, why did you do that for?" Duo asked Trowa.

"Because I am hungry and if you don't come and get your share in the next five minutes, we are going to finish the pancakes."

"Guess you are really hungry. Haven't known you to speak that much, that fast, at one go."

"Heero did you make these pancakes?" Trowa asked while eating his fourth one.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"They taste different."

"Heero's pancakes are better than mine."

"I can't make out the difference," Duo mumbled with his mouth full.

Jade glanced at Duo's plate and then said, "Duo? Are you eating the pancakes with syrup or syrup with pancakes?" 

This remark prompted Trowa and Heero to look at Duo's plate too. In his plate was a pool of Syrup with the sole pancake floating in it. No wonder, he could not make out the difference in taste. It was all sugary to him. And speaking of sugar, Duo on a sugar high was not something any of them looked forward to.

The rest of the breakfast was uneventful. But Duo was definitely on a sugar high and one could practically hear him buzzing with energy.

___________________________________________________________________

Heero was typing something at his laptop when Duo on a sugar high bolted in through the door at full speed.

"Hey Hee-man, the clown's picked himself a girl! Did you know that? Do you know who she is?"

"I know and I don't know and please don't call me that."

"How do you know Hee-man?" Duo asked ignoring the comment Heero made about calling him Hee-man.

"Jade told me."

"How did she know?"

Heero said, "Go ask her," hoping that Duo would leave him alone.

"Do you know who she is?"

"No."

"Sonia McDonald."

"Who?"

"That red haired creature that cried because she broke a nail."

"Hn." He smirked.

He had thought of Trowa as having more sense than that.

There was a long silence after that, which was broken by Duo.

"Hee-man?"

"Don't call me that."

"Hee-man, you are going to have to leave soon."

"Why?" this was as much Heero's apartment as it was Duo's.

"Hilde's coming over."

"Ok."

"Don't you want to know why?"

"I am better off not knowing it."

"She is coming here…"

"I told you I don't want to know." Heero immediately took his laptop and left before Duo could say anything. 

"I wonder how Hilde puts up with him," He muttered to himself on the way out. He didn't know where to go. He decided to spend time in the large library that they had on campus.

___________________________________________________________________

Jade was sitting in her room, she was reading a book. She heard the door open and click shut. She supposed it must have been Trowa. He had avoided her like the plague after breakfast. She heard a wild giggling sound. When did Trowa start giggling? No, he hardly even smiled. 

'Must be his feather-brained girlfriend,' she thought.

"Wait a minute. Did I just call her "Feather brained"?" she muttered to herself. "I don't know why I called her that. I had no reason to do so." She frowned slightly. 

Her reverie was interrupted by weird noises and then the complete lack of noise. And what were those moaning noises? She decided to look to see what was going on.  

Trowa and Sonia had their hands all over each other and seemed to be having a tonsil banging contest. None of them noticed that she was standing in the doorway.

"Get yourself a room guys," She told them.

That seemed to distract them and they broke apart to look at the interruption. Sonia looked disturbed, a bit annoyed too. Trowa had his unreadable mask on.

"I didn't know she was here," Sonia said to Trowa totally ignoring Jade.

"Neither did I. Let's go," He said, grabbing her arm and dragging her to his room.

Jade just shook her head and walked back into her room. It was quiet for a while and she resumed her reading. However, the silence was short lived. The noises coming from the next room were louder and she didn't even want to think about what might have been going on in the next room. There were a few screams here and there and overall, she found the noise pretty irritating, if not distracting. She took her book and her laptop and decided to leave. She could go next door. She never needed a key; she could pick locks as easily as Duo or Heero. 

She left quietly, though she doubted if the two would hear anything amidst the noise that they were creating. She turned to the next door and took out her lock pick. But she put it back again. It would be better if she knocked first. She knocked and was greeted by Duo who was wearing only his trousers and his hair was not in his usual braid.

"Hi Duo can I come in?"

"Nope, sorry. Got company. If you know what I mean."

"Ok, sorry to disturb you."

"It's Ok." And he immediately shut the door. She was glad, she did not use her lock pick. She would have been in a really awkward situation if she had used her lock picking skills. 

She decided to check on Dorothy. Dorothy should be in her apartment at this time of the afternoon. It was too hot to be outside. Dorothy intrigued her. She was a different kind of a person. She was strong and was firm in her beliefs. She was also a good strategist. And if what Jade observed was right, then Dorothy found her equally intriguing. They did have a few good conversations in the past. And they had become pretty good friends. Her room was all the way at the end of the corridor. Right opposite Quatre's room. She reached her room and knocked. No answer. She knocked again. No response. She knocked several times. Dorothy probably was not in her room. Must be somewhere else.

 She decided to see if Quatre was there. And if she could not find him, she would go and haunt the library. Borrow a few more books maybe. The librarian let her take out more books than were allowed.

She enjoyed Quatre's company and he seemed to enjoy her company too. She and Quatre could talk on end. Both of them were empaths and he was a pleasant person. His room was right opposite Hilde and Dorothy's room. She wouldn't use a lock pick on Quatre. Not in her life. He was just too nice to be subjected to something like that. It was different with Duo and Heero. They picked the lock to her apartment several times. Well, her shared apartment. 

She reached his apartment and checked to see if the door was locked. Quatre generally did not lock the door when he was in his room. The door was unlocked. She just stood there in shock at the scene before her. Here there was another tonsil banging contest. And this time she blushed and blushed like a tomato. He blush was almost as bad as Quatre's. She quickly shut the door and stood there with her back to the wall, closed her eyes and tried to calm down. It was hard to imagine somebody as shy as Quatre to kiss somebody like Dorothy that passionately. They were like two opposites, for God's sakes.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" she opened her eyes and saw Heero looking at her. She wondered why she hadn't noticed him approach.

"What's wrong?" he asked her again, this time reaching for the door to Quatre's room.

"You do not want to go in there. Seriously," she told him.

"I had to ask Quatre for something but I guess it can wait," he said with a slight smirk. He seemed to have understood what she meant.

"Hn."

"What are you doing out here with your laptop and a book?" He asked her again.

That was new. He hardly asked so many questions. 

"I didn't know you had conversational skills," she said with mock surprise.

"So now that you have discovered it, let's talk."

"Huh?"

"I am going to the library." He told her and turned in the direction of the elevator. He held open the door for her.

"Are you coming?" He asked her again.

"Huh…Oh…Yes. Just a sec." This was a totally different Heero.

She took her stuff and entered the elevator. He pressed the button for the Ground Floor. 

"So what were you doing there?" he asked again.

She knew he was persistent, but this was something like prying. She decided to let it pass. It was the first time that she had found him readily starting a conversation, without having any good reason to do so. 

"It's a long, long story."

"I want to know."

"I'll tell you when we get to the library."

"You are being as uncommunicative as me."

She just smiled. He smiled too.

They got to the library. Jade exchanged a few words with the eccentric librarian who had become something like a good friend. Heero meanwhile had chosen to sit at a secluded end of the library. She had some trouble finding him, but then she tried the new variation of her ability that she had learned at her empathic class. She tuned into Heero's emotions. It was fairly easy. His were the most confused and the most intense emotions that she knew of. Well, Trowa did kind of compete with Heero where confusion was concerned.  She found him immediately after she did that.

"So what were you doing there?" He asked here again. He had already asked her the same question at least three times now and without getting an answer. He seemed to be getting a bit frustrated.

"I was looking for a place to work and read quietly."

"What happened to your room?"

"Trowa."

"Huh?"

"He was busy humping his girlfriend and it was not possible to work or read in the noise that they were creating. Besides, those two would have needed privacy."

Heero seemed to be completely shocked. And the shock clearly showed on his face. She had to bite her cheek from laughing out loud. He stared at her for a full minute and then said, "You are joking."

She finally snorted and replied, "No Heero, I am not joking. That was the reason why I left."

"It's always the quiet ones," Heero muttered to himself.

"You fall into that category too Heero," Jade reminded him.

He was startled. He apparently hadn't realised that. She tried hard again not to laugh.

"And that's not all. Duo has company, but you probably know that. Since you are not in your room."

"Hn."

"And as to why I was standing outside Quatre's room, it was because I did not want to intrude on Quatre and Dorothy?"

"But it seems that you already did intrude."

"Yes, but they did not notice. It was as though their mouths were glued together."

"It's hard to imagine Quatre kissing Dorothy. She gets under my skin. And Quatre is so kind and gentle."

She stared at him hard and then said,

"Heero? Dorothy is not weird or freaky. She is just different. Just the way you are different."

"Hn. What sis you do before you came to the University?"

"Ask me no questions and I shall tell you no lies."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I am not going to talk about my life, so don't ask me. But why did you ask me that question?"

"Just curious."

"You don't normally talk this much. Are you alright?"

"I don't talk, because most of the time, I don't feel like talking."

"But now you do?"

"I can talk to you."

"Thank you for considering me worthy of your time."

"I should thank you."

"You just thanked me? And you talked to me? I guess the world is full of surprises."

================================================================

Author's note: and how was this chapter, I know it was a bit crappy. Actually compared to Devil's it might be a lot crappy. And if you are wondering if devil wrote this, the answer is no she didn't. I am her beta also known as the Incarnation. Hence the joint ID: Devil-Incarnate. And no one is beta-ing this chapter so don't go on looking for mistakes. But I hope you like it anyways. Feel free to write anything in the reviews.


	9. Friends

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

Author's note: Hey guys, I am back again! Yes, it's me not Devil. She is taking a break. Says she is too busy. Who knows? Anyways, I was supposed to write this chapter anyway. It was part of the deal for me beta-ing her writing. So I get to write without having to worry about keeping on going till the end. Neat, eh? She beta's this for me. She'll probably put in a lil note at the bottom.  Well anyways, back to the story. 

**Chapter 9: Friends**

We now shift our time line to approximately 6 months after the last incident. (Author's note: After great discussion over the matter me and Devil have decided that we cannot go into every little aspect of the character's lives. This story goes on over a period of 5 years, for God's sakes. So please forgive us if you were expecting a day to day account. Now back to the story)

So as I was saying, we now shift our time line six months after the last incident. Life is going as usual. Dorothy and Quatre have finally made their relation official. They are officially girlfriend and boyfriend. What's more, they are getting really serious. Duo and Hilde are two happy people. Trowa still has his girlfriend, Jade is happy and Heero is his usual unemotional self. 

Duo, Heero and Quatre haunted Trowa and Jade's room during meal times. Though Duo and Heero's kitchen was fixed a long time back, all of them had grown accustomed to the arrangement and Jade didn't mind cooking for five people provided that she didn't have to buy the supplies. She had become a close friend of the Gundam pilots and Dorothy and Hilde. Trowa's girlfriend, Sonia however was not that big a hit with the group. Quatre was the only one who made a serious effort to actually befriend the girl but his efforts were not being reciprocated. Duo was his usual self around her and he really liked to annoy her and no one, other than Trowa said anything about it. Jade was always civil with everyone so I doubt if that counted as something. Heero found it intriguing that Jade continued to be civil while Sonia became more and more hostile toward her. He asked her once:

"Why do you act so nice to her, even when she is so mean?"

Jade had looked at him for a while and then replied, "I don't think anything annoys her more. And what's more, no one can accuse me of being annoying. I'm absolutely polite." 

He had caught the mischievous, evil glint in her eyes and smiled, his own eyes mirroring hers. They had just looked at each other and nodded. He had understood her tactic and nodded.

"Psychology helps," She had told him.

He wondered if he should have taken psychology too, but then thought better of it. He himself tried Jade's technique of subtle mental torture, but since he was usually a reserved individual, it did not work that effectively when he used it. He finally decided to watch Duo and Jade torture the red haired bimbo. 

There was just something in torturing Sonia McDonald. She was annoying and she did not fit in with the group. What's more she made no effort to fit in either. She had almost taken Trowa away from them, but he had managed to return to his friends and bring his annoying girl friend with him. More fun for the G-Boys!

Heero and Jade had become really close friends and were seen together most of the time. It was funny, because when they were together, neither of them spoke, but they were contented all the same. Duo had even asked if they communicated telepathically or something of that sort. Heero had started laughing at this and Jade had just nodded. Then the two of them had left leaving a very confused Duo behind.

___________________________________________________________________

"Hey Heero. Watcha doing?" Duo asked him.

"Working."

"You work?"

"Yes."

"I update people's computer security. The people that I work with allow me to work from home."

"Where did you find the job? When did you start?" Duo asked in a really shocked way.

"I found the job, thanks to Jade, and I have been working for a really long time now."

"Wow! And you never even told me."

"You did not need to know."

"That's a nice way to treat your best friend," Duo said sarcastically.

"Who said you were my best friend?" Heero asked him finally looking at him.

Duo was speechless. He just stared at Heero for a while before he noticed the humour in his eyes. And then he let out the breath that he was unconsciously holding. Heero let out a small chuckle at the sight before him.

"Don't do that buddy. You'll give me a heart attack one day."

"Hn." Heero resumed working. Duo just stood there staring at him. It started to get a bit irritating after a while and Heero asked, "Why did you come here for?"

"Oh! Yes, I forgot. We are planning to go out for a picnic sort of thing. Everyone is coming."

"So?"

"So? So you come too."

"Why should I come?"

"Because all your friends are going."

"Who is 'all'?"

"Well, all of us including Jade and Trowa and his annoying lady friend."

"I'll come," Heero said with a grin. The prospect of watching Duo and Jade annoy Trowa's girlfriend was too tempting. He would go. Oh yes, he would.

___________________________________________________________________

"So are you coming too? Or is Sonia not ready to go?" Jade asked as she was packing the lunch.

"I'm coming and so is she."

"Why do you force her to come if she does not want to?"

"She wants to go where I go to keep 'an eye' on me," he said making little quotation marks with his fingers.

"…?" Jade gave him a questioning look.

"Don't bother about it. If she wants to keep me, then she lets me do what I want. She did not want me to go."

"So what happened?"

"Nothing. She didn't want me to come with you guys, but I wanted to so I said I was and then she said that she was coming too."

"Why do you treat her like an object to be used for something? Your pleasure in this case."

"She acts like one," he answered blandly.

She abruptly stopped packing the very big lunch basket and walked up to Trowa and grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around to face her. Man, she was strong! He was surprised for a while and he just looked at her, straight into her eyes. She was still holding him.

"Do me a favour Trowa. Don't play with somebody's feelings. Please." Her voice was almost a whisper and there was something in her eyes that he could not figure out; something intense and sad and full of emotion at the same time. Her voice clearly held a plea.

"Please Trowa, I beg you. Don't play with people's feelings." 

Her fingers were now digging into his shoulder, but her hands felt good. He didn't mind the pain. Her eyes. Those dark pools that held so many mysteries. That was all that he could see. He heard her and he nodded. She then dropped her head to look down at the floor and then took off her hand from his shoulder as abruptly as she had placed it there.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"It's ok."

"Please."

"It's Ok. I won't."

"Thanks."

He wouldn't play with other's feelings. Not from now on at least. He liked his girlfriend. He did not love her. That was for sure. But she was a bit annoying sometimes. She liked to treat him as though he belonged to her. But they got on just fine. He wasn't playing with her feelings. But he wouldn't play with other's feelings either.

"I'll be leaving soon. So you and Sonia join us later?" she asked after a while, returning back to her old self.

"Yes," he answered. He was still looking at her. She hardly ever let anyone glimpse her life. She was so much like Duo. They hid themselves behind a cheerful attitude and niceness. But Duo was a fun lover; she was not like him in that respect. She was so intense. Her cheerful attitude and politeness didn't hide that. He doubted if people noticed but he did. He was confused. She was such a riddle, such a mystery. So much like the Gundam pilots. She confused him. She was saying something else too but he wasn't listening. He watched her walk up to him and snap her fingers in front of his eyes. He was snapped out of his trance like state and was now listening to her once again.

"Did you listen to what I was saying?"

"No."

"I figured, I felt you tune out. Well, anyways. I am leaving now. You know where to find us right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then. See you later." She walked to the door with the extra big lunch basket. She and Hilde were in charge of the refreshments. "With your fine friend," she added as an after thought.

He now had to go and pick up Sonia. She wanted him to accompany her. He would go and get her now. She lived in the town. He would walk to her place and make her walk with him. She could at least do that.

He left soon after Jade and made sure to lock the door after him. He didn't mind Duo torturing Sonia. He even enjoyed it sometimes. The only thing that he did not enjoy was Sonia bitching about it later. And unfortunately for him, he was the one who had to listen to her bitching. However he could not understand why she was so mean to Jade and why Jade was always so nice to everybody, including to Sonia who was always being mean. Well, now was not the time to be thinking about it. But then again, what was the time to be thinking about it anyways? 

He reached his destination even before he knew. She was out there waiting for him. Somehow he found the sight of her irritating. That was weird. Didn't he like her? Wasn't she his girlfriend? He was going to be nice to her. He had promised. He had promised Jade. Sonia was on with her incessant chatter, but Trowa wasn't listening. What exactly had happened today? What? And how he wished she would stop complaining, for that was what she was doing.

"Are you even listening to me, Trowa?" she yelled at him.

"No."

"No? What do you mean 'no'? You don't listen to what I say and you have the nerve to tell me 'no'?"

"Yes. Now shut up and walk. I am not interested in your chatter."

"Psh. You are beginning to behave like Heero now. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry Sonia, but I am not in the mood to talk or listen. I hope you understand."

"Okay. But remember, I am coming just for your sake."

His eyes widened momentarily. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. What was the girl thinking? She was doing him a favour by coming here? He had given her an option to not come. He was hoping even that she would have declined. A man needed some time to himself. He wouldn't even have persuaded her to come had she decided not to come. And here she was telling him that she was coming because of him. The nerve! But he would not say this out loud, because he knew it would hurt her. And he had promised Jade not to hurt anybody's feelings and he knew first hand that girls and women were easily hurt.

"Thank you," was all that he said and he said it in a tone that said that it was the end of the conversation. 

___________________________________________________________________

"Hey there Jade!"

"Hey Hilde!"

"That's a big basket."

"I know. I figured that a backup could help. You never know what might happen. But you have a big basket too."

"Yeah, you know Duo."

"Oh yes I do, he helps finish my food supplies in half the time that they would normally last."

"He was going to attack my basket the moment he saw it. But I stopped him. He is sulking currently."

"So that's why you are not with him."

"Yeah. But he'll come round after a while. He always does."

"More FOOOOOOD! You will let me eat, right Jade?"

"Talk of the devil…" Jade muttered under her breath while Duo was trying to catch a glimpse of what was inside the huge picnic basket. 

"Get away Duo. This is for later and you can eat all you want later and if you touch even one thing in here before anyone else does, you will lose your kitchen privileges for a week. No, two weeks."

Duo stopped midway and looked absolutely devastated. The look on his face made Hilde laugh out loud and even though Jade managed to keep a stern expression, she had to admit the expression was priceless.

"You can't be serious," Duo managed to say. No kitchen privileges to him were worse than a death sentence.

"Do I look like I am kidding Mr. Duo Maxwell?" she knew that the 'Mr.' and 'Maxwell' would have the desired effect on Duo. People called him that only when they were really mad.

"What's going on?"

"Ah! Heero. Jade is just telling Duo about the consequences that he will have to face if he touches the lunch basket," Hilde informed him.

"No kitchen privileges?" Heero asked.

"Uh-Huh, precisely."

And both of them started laughing. That made Duo turn. 

"I knew it! I just knew it. It's a conspiracy. It's a conspiracy to starve me to death and all of you are in it together," Duo said.

"Shut up Duo and get back to doing what you were doing or I'll bring my gun out of retirement."

"You mean Sulking?"

"Where's Trowa, Jade?" Heero just ignored Duo and turned to Jade.

"Went to get his girl friend. And where are Quatre and Dorothy?"

"Quatre didn't come and Dorothy just left to get him."

"That figures."

"Are you really not going to give me any food Hilde?" Duo's voice reached their ears. Hilde finally gave in after about five minutes on pleading.

"Ok, just something little. No gorging on food. Promise?"

"Yay"

"Hey! Hello there!" Dorothy called out. She was practically dragging Quatre with her.

"Don't tell me all your friends are here!" this cry of despair came from somewhere behind them and Duo's face literally lit up with happiness. All of them turned round to see a really devastated red head and a really, really pissed off Trowa. Trowa normally did not exhibit his emotions but if you could see the way he felt almost immediately after looking at him, the n you could be sure that he was near his breaking point and it was not advisable to be there when that happened. And it seemed as though this was one of those times. 

Trowa immediately shot Duo a warning look and she saw Duo's face fall. Heero also saw that. Jade managed to catch Heero's eye and he understood. He and Jade would have to distract Trowa and take him far, far away from where Duo was busy torturing his victim. He just gave her a small nod that indicated that he understood. 

"Hello Sonia. Do come and join us," Jade said.

Sonia just glared at her and Jade just politely smiled back. Heero snorted and everyone turned to look at him. Jade walked away and when she passed Duo she whispered something in his ear and Duo practically jumped.

"You can't be serious?!?!" he exclaimed

"Very serious," she replied with a straight face.

"You are a life saver," Duo said grinning widely.

Heero did not know what they were talking about but knowing Duo and whatever he knew about his new and his really good friend, Jade, he could pretty much guess what they were talking about. Trowa managed to hazard a guess too, but he dismissed the thought. Jade would not be so cruel. She would not torture Sonia, or help in her torture. He did not know how wrong he was in assuming this. She would not directly torture Sonia, but helping her friend do it was very much all right. Heero in the meantime decided to lure Trowa away from the crowd, partially to give him a break and partially to give Duo the chance that he had been waiting for.

"Trowa, I have to talk to you."

"Sure thing."

Trowa readily followed Heero, he surely did not want to be there when Duo was torturing Sonia. And he also wanted to listen to what Heero wanted to say. He hardly talked. Heero led him far out of earshot of the group and positioned him so that Trowa's back was facing the group and Heero who was standing in front of Trowa could see what was going on in at the group. Even if he could not hear what they were saying, he could make out that the girl was as miserable as she could be and none of them were helping the situation.

"What made you hook up with that kind of a girl?"

"Huh?"

"I asked…"

"I heard"

"so?"

"I am beginning to think about it. Was I in my right mind when I asked her out?"

"So why do you think you did such a thing?"

"I was running away most probably." Trowa said this more to himself than to Heero.

"From whom?"

"I don't know." He was now looking at some point behind Heero.

"From Jade?" 

Trowa abruptly turned away and was that a blush colouring his cheeks? Heero found that amusing and inspite of himself, smiled a bit.

"It seems like I have gone somewhere that I should not have gone." Heero was indirectly grilling Trowa.

"No, She is just my room mate," Trowa replied, still looking anywhere but at Heero. He himself did not know if it was the whole the truth.

"Liar," Heero muttered.

"What?" this time, Trowa looked right at Heero.

"Nothing, let's go. We're done talking."

"No we are not." Trowa was going to get back at Heero. He would bring up the subject of Relena.

"What happened to Relena?" Trowa asked Heero. Heero stopped midway.

"What about her?" He tried to talk in his usual manner, but Trowa caught the hint of worry in his voice and something else that was not quite characteristic of Heero. He smiled to himself.

"Heard from her?"

"No, not once since the last time I met her." He seemed almost sad when he said it, but it was always difficult to tell what he was feeling.

"So? You in love?" Trowa asked. Forgetting to be tactful on purpose.

"What are you talking about?" Heero asked, glaring at him.

Fortunately for Trowa and unfortunately for Heero, the famous 'death-glare' had no effect on the clown.

"You know perfectly well what I am talking about. You miss her, don't you?"

It was now Heero's turn to look away and was he blushing too? Hard to tell. His face was turned away.

"That's enough. Let's leave," he said gruffly.

"Hn," Trowa smiled to himself. So the perfect soldier was in love.

The two of them walked back to the group.

"Trowa Barton, take me back immediately. Right this minute, I can't stand it any longer."

"You can leave yourself," he told her coolly. Why did he/ why had he put up with her?

"We have to talk. Sort a few things out and we will do it now. You are taking me home," Sonia practically yelled at him. She was fuming.

"Fine, Let's go." He took her hand and dragged her along with him without saying good byes to any one. Everyone just looked at the two retreating figures. It was Duo who broke the silence.

"Hey Jade?"

"Yes?"

"What did you say that ticked her off so bad?"

"I just asked her to try being a bit nicer to people. I told her then people would like her and not bother her."

"You just said that?"

"Yes."

"And that ticked her off?"

"Apparently."

"Funny. I wonder what Trowa is going to say about it?"

"He'll be depressed for a while but he'll snap out of it," Quatre told them.

"What makes you say so?" Hilde asked.

"Sonia seemed almost determined to have a something like a showdown."

"You mean she is going to dump him?" Duo asked

"I think so."

"Yay!"

"Why are you so happy about?" Quatre asked.

"Don't you get it Q-man? When he gets dumped, we will get our friend back."

"But we can't have him all to ourselves, can we?" Quatre said, trying to make Duo see reason and logic.

"Yeah, I know that. But he can at least choose someone better, someone more like us."

"He will learn from his mistakes." Jade told him.

"He'd better. Why in the world did he have to get himself a girlfriend like Sonia when there is someone like Jade living _with him?" _

Quatre turned red, Jade choked on a sandwich that she was eating, Heero just smiled at Duo and Duo got a slap on the back of his head from both Hilde and Dorothy. He at least had the decency to blush when he realised what he had said.

"Sorry Jade. Didn't know you were listening," he said shyly.

"Don't worry, atleast now I know what you were thinking," She said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. But her eyes did not look angry, just intense and they were burning with something that no one could quite make out. She and Quatre looked at each other and nodded. They were both empaths and open to emotions and feelings and the two could almost communicate without words.

"Now, if you will please excuse me," Jade said and began to leave.

Duo was going to stop and Heero was planning to follow her, but Quatre stopped them both and then turned to Jade.

"I understand Jade. I'll take care of things here," Quatre told her.

"Thanks," and the relief and gratitude showed in her eyes.

"I am leaving the basket here, finish it off and then return it. Duo it has an apple pie in it. I know you like it. You can have it."  And before anybody could say anything she left.

___________________________________________________________________

Jade left all her stuff back with the others and went back to her room. This day did not go the way she had planned. First it was the thing in the morning with Trowa. What had gotten into her? Why did she have to react that way? And then it was Sonia, who got upset at the slightest thing that Jade said to her. And she did seem fit to explode when she left. If she dumped Trowa, it would be all her fault and though Trowa would try not to show it, she knew he would feel hurt. And it was all going to be her fault. And why did Duo say what he said? And the way Heero smiled when Duo said it. Why? These were the questions that were bothering her. She was doing everything mechanically. She didn't even pay attention to what she was doing. She only knew that she was doing something. She heard the door open, but she did not pay any attention. It must either be Duo or Heero. Trowa wouldn't be back so soon, and especially not if he got dumped. Suddenly, there was total silence other than the sounds that she was making and she had that feeling of being watched. She was in the kitchen and she knew just who would watch her that way.

"You are back early. Hadn't expected you to be back this early."

"Do you know how long I have been gone?"

"I dunno. Maybe half and hour?" She was determined not to appear a least bit out of normal.

"It's been almost two hours since I left you people to drop off Sonia back at her place," Trowa said matter of factly.

She was surprised, but she was determined not to let it show. But, inspite of herself, she tensed a bit when he said that. She resumed her composure immediately, but that little instant told Trowa that she was surprised. She probably hadn't realised that she had spent that much time, without realising it that it had been that long. She immediately put something in the refrigerator and rushed out of the kitchen and into the room. She grabbed her duffel bag and left, without saying goodbyes. He just stood there watching her leave. He wondered where she left everyday with her duffel bag at around six thirty every evening. He would talk to her after she got back and he needed to think a few things through before he actually talked with her.

He hadn't felt in the least bit upset when Sonia was fuming about how everyone treated her, but why did he feel that hint of anger when she blamed all her troubles on Jade? Though she hadn't dumped him, she was very much in the mood to do so. He could sense it. He had to hear many not so nice things about his friends but he ignored them as usual. He had just too many things on his mind right now.

Suddenly he heard the door open and he didn't need to see who the person was to know who had just barged in. The uninvited guest was Duo.

"So what did you two do?"

"Hn?"

"Did she dump you or did you dump her?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Duo."

"You mean you are still together?" Duo asked dejectedly.

"Yes. And what's up with you and Hilde?" Trowa asked trying to change the subject.

"Hil is fine."

"Hil?"

"Hilde. I call her Hil sometimes. We are getting along just fine."

"Do you love her?" Trowa asked seriously.

Duo blushed a bright red.

"So I take that blush as a yes?"

"I guess so. I don't know how that happened."

"When did you first realise that you loved her?"

"I dunno. I guess it was that time that she got us the information on Libra. I think that's when I realised how much I cared for her and how attached I was to her. I just did not want anything to happen to her."

"Did you tell her that you love her?"

"No. but, I guess she knows."

"Does she love you?"

"I don't know. I'm afraid to ask."

"Ask her. Go think about it."

That managed to get Duo thinking and he left Trowa alone. That was a weird conversation. Since when did Trowa start asking such questions and since when did he worry about feelings? Duo was confused. He left. But before he left he said,

"Do you know that Relena's coming?"

"Is she?"

"Yes, and they are having a ball in her honour. You know the tux and black tie one? A formal. She is a trustee and the vice foreign minister. And everyone is invited. You will be getting the invitations soon."

"How do you know this?"

"Blackwell told Hilde while we were coming up. She wanted to talk to him about something."

"Does Heero know about it?"

"Nah. Not planning to tell him either."

"Hn." But Trowa grinned all the same.

================================================================

**Author's note:** Hello guys! Long long time. And a long long chappie. I know, I know. Confusion and a cliffhanger of sorts. But I was writing this chapter because I wanted to write it and also partly because Devil said she needed a break, but it seems that I am no better. I had a lot of work to do too and hence this delay. But id o hope you like this chapter.

**Devil's note:** Hiya! I am beta-ing this chapter and I did not find too many mistakes though the author keeps claiming that he is worse than me at writing. I know this has taken a  long time to come out  and it is because we were both extremely busy and I love all you reviewers for all the splendid reviews. Keep reading and reviewing. The next chapter might take a bit longer because I am going to be writing it and I am really busy. But neither one of us is giving up on this fic. Keep reading! Love you all.


	10. Relena's visit

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

**Chapter 10: Relena's visit**

Jade returned at around nine. That's the time that she normally returned from wherever she went to. Trowa was waiting for her.

            "So where have you been?" He asked her.

"Somewhere."

"Where somewhere?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Just curious."

"I went to the dojo in town."

"So you do martial arts?"

"Yes."

He had asked her a question about what she did, she decided to ask him about what he did.

"So what did you two talk about?" she asked him, landing her bag in her room. The kicking, punching and shouting at the dojo had helped her workout her confusion. 

"Nothing much. She does not want to see any of my friends again, especially you."

"Figures. I manage to piss her off even if I say 'hello'."

"But we are still together."

"That's good." She still wasn't looking at him. She was busy arranging her stuff.

"Are you saying that just to make me feel good?" he asked her doubtfully.

"No, I am really glad things worked out for the better."

There was silence for a little while. Jade was unpacking her duffel bag and Trowa was just watching her. He spoke up after a while.

"I was waiting for you."

"For what? Didn't you have dinner yet? And didn't the other three show up?"

"The others did not show up, and you forgot to make dinner. You seemed upset about something," he informed her.

"Sorry, I was upset. Don't bother asking why."

"Okay. But the 'other three' will not be coming. Duo called and said that your lunch basket was enough for lunch as well as dinner."

She smiled wryly.

"Did they return the basket?"

"Yes. It's in the kitchen."

"Okay. But you can have dinner without me. I am not hungry."

"Fine."

He left her room and left her alone. On his way to the kitchen he thought, 'Something is bugging her. She is being so evasive, so uncommunicative.' And this was coming from Trowa! He kept thinking of why he only felt irritated when his girlfriend complained and why he felt a hint of anger, when Sonia blamed Jade for everything that went wrong. Why did he fell like that? He normally did not care enough about anything to get angry. Why now? What was Jade doing to him.

"Why does he have to ask me questions and why in the world did he wait for me?" she said to herself after he left.

'Maybe because he cares for you,' said a little voice in her head.

Though she wanted to believe it badly, she decided to drown the little voice with her reasoning. It was not sensible to hope for such things. You never got the things that you wished for the most. What was the point of harbouring such hopes? All you got in return for clinging to such frail ideas, was disappointment. But she kept thinking of what Duo had said that afternoon and the feelings that she detected coming from other people. 

She was still thinking about that when she heard the lock to their apartment door being expertly picked. She knew precisely who it was. And as a confirmation she heard her name being called out at full volume.

"Coming Duo."

"So there you are."

"Yes, what do you want?"

"My! Aren't we a bit edgy."

"Yes we are. What do you want?" Trowa said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

"Where did you come from?" Duo asked with a bewildered expression.

"The kitchen. Now back to what you want," Jade answered for him.

Duo looked from Trowa to Jade and from Jade to Trowa for a moment and then shook his head.

"I came to ask Jade for some help…"

"What sort of help?" Jade cut in tersely.

"Lemme finish. Just in case you don't know, the vice-foreign minister is coming on a visit, to this weird place for weirdoes."

"So?" Jade asked.

Trowa smirked. He knew now precisely why Duo had come.

"And they are having a formal party or something of the sort in her honour and all of the students are requested to come and we have received special invitation from Zechs Merquise a.k.a Milliardo Peacecraft. I need you to help me convince Heero to come."

"Why do you want him to go?"

"Is he in love?" Duo asked her.

"Yes, I get those vibes from him sometimes."

"Do you know who he is in love with?"

"No."

"Relena Peacecraft. And him being who he is, he won't admit it."

"Oh!"

"And he hates crowds. You know that pretty well. You are practically the only person that is capable of convincing him."

"I'll try. When is this ball thing anyway?"

"In another week or so. We get a heads up thanks to Zechs."

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

"Hey Trowa! Can I have some of that?"

"No, and get your ass out of here."

"Fine."

"Good night Duo," Jade called after him.

"Good night Jade and I'm sorry." And he engulfed her in a big bear hug and she returned his hug. His hugs were friendly and reassuring. A hug was what she needed and somehow Duo knew that she needed it. His hug brought a slight smile to her face and a scowl on Trowa's. 

At the door, he said to Trowa, "You know what Trowa? You and Heero can be pretty alike sometimes."

"…"

"…"

___________________________________________________________________

"Hey Heero, do something about your fan girls. They think I am your girlfriend or something," Jade said irritated as she flopped down on a char beside Heero.

"I am not interested in those girls," he said gruffly.

"I know that. You are in love with someone else. But it doesn't hurt to be civil to people."

"I am not you."

"I know that. By the way, did you know that Relena Peacecraft is coming here?"

"Relena?"

Now she was sure that he was in love with her.

"You love her don't you?"

"I can't love anyone," he said despairingly. "I don't deserve a person like her."

"You deserve everything in the world, and I mean it."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me. I am merely stating the facts and stop putting yourself down."

"So what's with Relena?"

"She is coming here and there is going to be a ball in her honour and you are requested to attend."

"Why me?"

"Don't you want to go and see her?"

"Yes and no."

"Yes you do and you are coming with me."

"With you?"

"Yes, with me. I need a date and so do you."

He just looked at her with a quizzical expression.

"Did you put a lot of sugar in your coffee this morning?"

"No, I spent too much time with Duo."

"…"

"Just Kidding. So you are coming?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"I don't think so."

___________________________________________________________________

"Mission accomplished."

"You are a wonder maker," Duo said engulfing Jade in a heartfelt hug.

"Why?"

"You are practically the only person he will listen to without drawing out his gun."

"What about you?"

"Oh! Sometimes I wonder if I am only his punching bag or something."

"I mean, will you listen to me?"

"Of course I will."

"Then do me a favour. Tell Hilde that you love her."

"Did Trowa make you tell me this?"

"No. She needs to hear it. She is a wonderful person and you do not want to lose her."

"I know. She is absolutely wonderful but I am afraid of being rejected."

"You don't have to be afraid. She loves you. She needs to hear you say those words to her."

"How do you know?"

"She talks to me, you know?"

"Who _doesn't_ talk to you?" Duo said more to himself than to her with his eyes on the ceiling.

"Trowa?"

"Huh?"

"I said, Trowa – does – not – talk – to – me," she said, emphasising on each word.

"Oh! I know why he doesn't."

"I won't ask. Now back to Heero. I am his date."

"What?!?!"

"What?"

"He is your date?!?" He asked flabbergasted.

"Yes. Now shut up and leave."

"You do know that this thing is next week right?"

"Yes, but I wonder how they are going to fit everyone in there?"

"They have a closed off section that they will most probably open."

"Oh!"

"And Relena will also be making a formal speech at the Party."

"How do you know these things?" She asked in an exasperated manner.

"Well, that's my speciality."

"'k, go. I want to work."

"Fine." And he turned to leave. He was half way to the door.

"And make your own dinner today. I don't feel like cooking." She said grinning slyly. Duo did not see her grin, since his back was towards her. But her words made him jump.

"What? Do you want me to get killed? Technically speaking it is my turn to do the cooking and if I blow up the kitchen, which I most probably will, that's the end of me."

"Don't worry, tell Heero to do the cooking. I know you can manage it. Just use some of your charm on him."

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I know I am evil. I haven't updated for so long and I know u people hate me for it, but my last chapter did not get any reviews and I feel so unloved. Actually it wasn't even my chapter. My beta wrote it and then again as I mentioned before. I am really busy and I don't have enough free time. I know that this chapter is short. And as a warning, the next chapters will be short too. But hopefully I will be able to post more often. Also this chapter is not beta-ed. My beta isn't all that efficient nowadays. So please tolerate my mistakes.


	11. At the Ball part one

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

**Chapter 11: At the Ball (part 1)**

            None of the Gundam pilots knew what was going on in the girls' room. Namely, Hilde and Dorothy's room. All three of them had shut themselves up in that room for almost 2 hours now. Hilde would not let anybody in. The three Gundam pilots, i.e. Heero, Duo, and Quatre were waiting outside. It was only another hour before they would have to leave for the Ball. Trowa had left to go pick up his girlfriend and he today he was not going to be with his friends today.

            "What's taking them so long?" Duo said impatiently. They had now been waiting outside the room for thirty minutes now.

            "Just wait. Hilde said they will be out in a few minutes," Quatre tried to reason with Duo.

            "Duo is right. They are taking too long." Heero said when they heard a loud scream from the room. All three of them tensed.

            "You try putting that on me and believe me I'll kill you," They heard Jade say. 

The scream must have been Hilde's or Dorothy's.

            "Calm down Jade. You are over reacting. This won't kill you." Dorothy tried to reason with her.

            "It won't kill me but put that shiny stuff on me and I'll kill you." Jade warned.

            Heero smirked at that and Quatre just shook his head. Duo was still tense. Hilde was in there.

            "Calm down Duo, Jade won't kill wither of them," Quatre told him.

            "Oh believe me she will. I know that girl."

            "I heard that Maxwell. You are next," Jade yelled from inside.

            "Damn."

            "Why? What's wrong?" Heero asked him. "She is just a girl."

            "Yeah, right. But let me tell you she is like not normal."

            "Other than her being an empath, what's so unusual about her?" Quatre asked him.

            "Well, you haven't been on the receiving end of her death threats have you?"

            "No, but…

            He stopped mid-sentence. All three of them were speechless for a while. Hilde, Dorothy and Jade looked gorgeous. Duo's jaw dropped when he saw the three.

            Hilde was dressed in a sleek full-sleeved dark red dress that ended just above her knees. It hugged her body in just the right places. Her hair was the usual short, messy style without the pink beret. She looked like her usual easy going self. Her choice was perfect for her pixyish form. She had applied make-up, but it looked really good on her. Duo could not take his eyes off her.

            Dorothy was dressed in a light blue evening gown, with a slit running up to mid-thigh and a low neck. The colour complemented her pale complexion and her grey- blue eyes. Her hair was made up in an elegant twisty roll of some sort. She apparently had the most make-up on, but it suited her high and mighty style.

            Jade was dressed all in black. She was dressed in a black gown that went all the way to the floor. It had a low neck and spaghetti straps and was body hugging till her waist and from then on, it was a long and flowing skirt. The dress apparently was satin since it had a liquid sheen to it and it was the same colour as her hair, which was done up in a beautiful but practical twist, and her eyes. Though she was dressed all in black, it did not look inappropriate. It suited her. The black seemed to make her gaze seem more intense and it suited her air of mystery perfectly and her olive complexion carried it well. She had minimal make-up on and she looked absolutely stunning. She looked so different than her usual self.

            "Boy, is Trowa going to be in for a surprise," Duo said under his breath and got a sharp elbow to the ribs from Hilde. "You're talking about Trowa, just look at soldier boy!" she whispered in his ear. Duo looked at Heero and his jaw dropped.

            Heero's jaw had dropped when he had seen Jade and he was watching her entranced!

            This was something that no one would expect Heero to do.

            Jade had noticed this too and she walked and stood right in front of Heero. No response. She snapped her fingers under her nose and he snapped out of that trance. He immediately turned away and he said in a gruff voice, "Let's go. You people have wasted enough time already."

            Jade latched onto his arm and she felt him stiffen a bit. And was he blushing?

___________________________________________________________________

            Trowa was mentally cursing himself for not breaking up with his girlfriend. He had tremendous control over his emotions but if his girlfriend continued with her whining and complaining for another five minutes, that control was going to snap.

            Luckily for them, they reached the hall.

            He entered. The place was huge. He scanned the crowd. He saw Relena with Zechs and Noin. He looked around another time, but he could not see his friends. He assumed they hadn't reached there. Sonia was tugging his arm. She wanted him to go with her and talk with her friends. Her so called "social circle".  

            He was about to turn when he saw his friends come in. Quatre waved at him and he acknowledged the wave with a nod of his head. Dorothy was beside him. Next his eyes fell on Duo and Hilde and lastly the fell on Heero. And who was that lady in black by Heero? The face was familiar and he couldn't help but think that he knew her. He had to admit to himself that she was gorgeous. With his eyes still on the group and especially on that girl, he turned to Sonia.

            "Who did Heero say was his date?" he asked her, but he instantly regretted asking it.

            "Why do you want to know that?"

            "Just asking," he said casually, still not taking his eyes off the group.

            "Dorothy told me it was Jade."

            Trowa was momentarily dumbstruck. That girl was Jade? 

All the way from the other end of the room Duo and Hilde had been watching Trowa's every move.

            "Looks like he just realised that Heero's date is none other than Jade," Duo said and the reply was a giggling fit from Hilde.

            "I always knew that Trowa made a mistake."

            "Mistake?" Duo practically screeched in disbelief. "That guy's worse than Heero. He is in love with Jade but he won't even admit it to himself."

            "Just look at him. He is not even looking at Sonia when he is speaking to her. Looks like the only thing that he is interested in watching is Jade."

            "Have you ever seen Jade drink?" Duo asked Hilde, with an evil glint in his eyes.

            "No, but I sure would like to," she replied with equal mischief in her eyes.

___________________________________________________________________

HEHEHE! I know I am evil is shorter than the earlier one, but it's come out much faster. I know it's still pretty vague, but please hold on, I'll try to update sooner without making the chapters any shorter. Please read and review. I am really, really busy so please bear with me. And please review. It's bad to not know what people think about your writing you know. 


	12. At the Ball prt II and After

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

**_Read A/N at the end of this chapter. Important!_**

**Chapter 12: At the Ball (part 2)**

                        "Miss Relena, will now say a few words" said a voice over the speakers. Everyone stopped what they were doing and immediately turned towards the big slightly elevated dance floor in the middle. Relena was dressed in a peach coloured dress and her hair was down, just the way it was when she was younger.

            Heero was watching her, his expression unreadable as usual and Jade was watching Heero and Relena. Relena was also watching Heero and when she saw Heero with Jade, she felt a pang of jealousy. Jade felt her emotions and smirked. What she thought was true. She would have to go and talk to the vice-foreign minister later. All through her speech, Relena's eyes kept wandering back to Heero and Heero never took his eyes of her. Oh yes, they were two people in love. 

            "I think you should go and tell her how you feel," Jade whispered in Heero's ear.

            "Hn?"

            "She loves you too."

            "How do you know?"

            "Why else would she feel jealous seeing with you another girl?"

            "Another girl?"

            "I mean me."

            "Hn."

___________________________________________________________________

            There was a round of applause when Relena was done her speech. She smiled. Heero thought that she must be the only person who could look so sad even when she smiled. He was going to tell this to Jade. When he turned to where jade was, he was a bit surprised. Jade had vanished. He could not see her anywhere. And he would have heard if she would have left. He was looking around fro her when he saw her talking with Relena. 

___________________________________________________________________

            Relena had just finished her speech. It was heart wrenching to take her eyes off Heero. She had noticed that he had a date and that both of them seemed pretty comfortable with each other.

            'Why should I feel jealous? He never showed any interest in me and if he is happy with someone else, I should be happy for him,' she told herself.

            "Its okay to feel jealous. That reaction was only natural," said a voice behind her.

            Relena turned around to face the source of that voice.

            It was none other than Heero's date.

            "Hello, my name is Jade."

            "I am Relena Peacecraft-Darlian."

            "Miss Peacecraft…"

            "Please call me Relena, miss,,,?"

            "Just Jade, I never had a last name."

            "Oh!"

            "Don't apologise."

            "So you wanted to talk to me Jade?"

            "Yes, about Heero."

            "I am happy for you and him."

            "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

            Relena was dumbstruck. How in the world did this girl know what she was thinking? And as an answer to that question, Jade said, "I am an empath, I cannot read minds."

            "That explains it."

            "Yes, and Heero and I are in no relationship whatsoever. We are only friends."

            "Oh!"

            "And one more thing."

            "Yes?"

            "Do you love him?"

            Relena was a bit taken aback by this question, but decided to answer it.         

"I think I always have."

            "Good, he loves you too."

            "What?!?" Relena was now genuinely surprised.

            "Yes, he does. It's just that he doesn't know how to express it. Just give him some time."

            "…"

            "I hope you will be staying here for sometime longer."

            "As a matter of fact yes, I wanted to do a program at this place."

            "Doctor?"

            "Yes, how did you know?"

            "You could call it a good guess."

            Relena couldn't help but smile. She liked this girl. And she had to be special if Heero could be friends with her. And there was this strange aura about her. She just wasn't normal like other people. There was a definite air about her. Relena watched her as she walked away.

            "She must have quite a few admirers," she said to herself. She looked around the hall, and she did spot other familiar faces. She saw Quatre and Dorothy walking towards her. Now that was something new. Those two were nothing like each other; God knows how they got together. They were even against each other during the White Fang war. But then again, she and Heero were nothing like each other either. And if what Jade said was true, then they both loved each other. 

___________________________________________________________________

            "What did you say to her?" Heero asked her when Jade returned.

            "Nothing."

            "Liar." 

            "you know what I asked her, so why bother asking me?"

            "Hn."

            "Hey!"

            "Duo," both Jade and Heero said in an exasperated voice.

            "Hi Duo. Howz it goin'?" Jade asked him.

            "Its going fine. I just got drinks fro you two."

            "Thanks. Where's Hilde?"

            "She'll be coming shortly."

            Heero took a sip of his drink and looked at Duo. Duo just gave him a pleading look. Heero just smiled. Jade would pay for what she had done just now. Duo exhaled the breath he was unconsciously holding. Jade who was oblivious to all that was going on around her, absently chugged down her drink. 

            "Would you like one more?" Hilde asked 

            "Yes, thank you."

___________________________________________________________________

            It was time for the dance. Heero asked Relena to Dance. Or was it the other way around? Dorothy and Quatre were lost in their own world. Duo and Hilde were no where to be seen and Trowa was dancing with Sonia. A few people had asked Jade for a dance but she had declined. She was feeling strangely light headed and tipsy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Heero was dancing with Relena. It reminded him of the last time that they danced. She had grown. He had grown. Was it then that he had first began loving her? When was it? He never knew. He didn't even know he was in love till jade pointed it out to him. He looked down at Relena. She was looking at him intently. 

            "Why didn't you ever tell me?" He asked her.

            "I did not want to impose on you."

            "hn."

            "Why did you never tell me?"

            "I never knew till a few months back."

            "Oh!"

            Nothing much was said for the rest of the dance. They just danced quietly.

            Trowa was dancing with Sonia, but his eyes kept wandering back to Jade. Sonia was saying something, but he never heard what she said. He was busy watching his room mate sit idly doing nothing. He felt a pang of jealously every time anyone asked her to dance.  He was still thinking of  Jade when he was brought back to reality as Sonia stopped dancing in the middle of the song.

            "What's wrong?"

            "Everything," she said blandly.

            "Meaning?"

            "Meaning that it's over."

            "Over?"  
            "Yes, you are definitely not interested in me. All you have done this whole evening is watch that bitch," She said her eyes tearing up.

            "Don't call her that," Trowa said threateningly.

            "See what I mean. You don't care about me. It's Jade that you want." And she stomped off, leaving him standing there in the middle of the dance floor. The other couples continued dancing.

            "So they have finally broken up. I was wondering how long that was going to last," Zechs said to Noin.

            "I bet he is better off without her," Noin told him.

            "We'll see."

___________________________________________________________________

_ After the Function: Approximately __1.30 am___

"Where's Trowa?" Quatre asked.

"I dunno. Must be off with his girl friend," Dorothy said.

"Nah! They broke up." Duo piped in cheerfully.

"And what are you so happy about?" Quatre asked him.

"Anybody see Jade anywhere?" Duo asked, still cheerful.

"No. I dropped her off at her room. She wasn't feeling too good," Dorothy said raising a quizzical eyebrow at Duo.

"Hey Trowa!" Hilde shouted out.

He just acknowledged the greeting with a nod of his head.

"Hey bud! Wanna do an all nighter?" Duo asked.

"No. Where's Heero?"

"Back at the apartment. He left soon after Relena." Hilde said.

"Figures."

" Heard you broke up," Dorothy said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Quatre laid an apologetic hand on Trowa's shoulder.

"Don't be. She gave me an easy way out. I'm not at all sad about what happened."

"Oh!"

"So you not going to wait?"

"Wait and do what. I'd better go get some sleep," he said rubbing his temples.

"Okay, as you wish. But it would have been fun, if you would have stayed. Heero isn't staying anyways. No jade and now no you," Quatre said, looking at Trowa with his big puppy dog eyes.

"Won't work this time Q-man. Clown boy's got something else on his mind, or should I say someone?" Duo said with his elbow on Quatre's shoulder and a mischievous glint in his eyes. Hilde chuckled somewhere in the background. Quatre still seemed a bit confused but Duo got a frigid glare from Trowa.

Trowa walked away without another word. 

___________________________________________________________________

 Heero was busy typing away at his computer. He kept a daily journal. Who would have thought that the perfect soldier would keep a journal? 

Heero wasn't even paying attention to what he was typing. He just pounded away on the keyboard. All he kept thinking about was Relena. Relena and Jade. 

He found the incident with Jade funny. She hadn't even noticed that she was drinking alcohol. He expected better of her. She was normally so perceptive and she hadn't even noticed this time. Duo sure could think of things sometimes. Thinking of that brought a smile to his face. And then he started thinking about how Jade had talked to Relena and then his train of thought shifted to his evening with Relena. 

It felt good just holding her close to him like that. He did not want the evening to end. During the dance a few people had asked for a dance with Relena, but he had managed to silence them by using just his famous death glare.

Relena…It had been a long time since they had last met. And this was maybe the first time that they met without having to bother about dying. 

Heero tried looking out of his window. His window was facing the grounds. Was that person walking across the campus grounds Trowa? No. Duo had told him that they were planning to do an all nighter. He wondered if Jade would be there.  After a few minutes, the figure got closer. Yes, it was Trowa. Nobody else had those gravity defying bangs. He seemed lost in thought. Heero walked back to his monitor. He was keeping up to date on what Relena had been doing since the last time they met. Relena was planning on earning a Degree in medicine at this "Weird Place for Weirdoes" as Duo called it. It caused quite a hype in the Political world. How could the vice-foreign minister leave her post to go and study full-time? But she being Relena had managed to convince then that it would not be a problem. It was better for Heero. He got to see her more often.

            If Jade was right, then he was as hopelessly in love with Relena as she was with him. Though he had a hard time admitting it, a part of him wished fervently for what Jade said to be true.

___________________________________________________________________

            Trowa entered the apartment. It was dark. He switched on the lights. Jade was sitting on the floor with her head on the couch. She seemed to be sleeping. She hadn't changed. Her hair was loose and it fell around her in waves. She was gorgeous. 

            He just walked around her. He did not want to disturb her. He would just change and he hoped that she would wake up by then. That's why he left the lights on. 

            Trowa walked to his room. He broke up because of Jade, but he was happy all the same. He could now concentrate on Jade without feeling guilty. He wasn't cheating on anyone now. The only problem now was what he would tell Jade if she asked him the reason for the break up. He would bother about it later. He brushed his teeth and changed into his pyjamas. He didn't bother putting on a shirt. It was warm.

            He went outside. Jade was still asleep. He went and sat down beside her. He put his hand on her back and bent down to whisper in her ear.

            "Jade wake up. Go and sleep in you bed."

            She just mumbled something incoherent. He just shook her shoulder a bit harder and she opened one sleepy eye. She gave him a sleepy smile. He smiled back. And now he knew that she was definitely drunk. And he figured that it would have been Duo's fault.

            "Jade. You should go and sleep now."

            She just shook her head 'no' as a response. She tried getting up, but stumbled.

            "Looks like I'm gonna have to give you a lift," he said with a smirk.

            He bent down and effortlessly picked her up bridal style. She immediately put her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. The moment that she did this, Trowa could swear that he felt a jolt of electricity run down his spine. He stopped abruptly. His heart rate increased. He looked down at her sleeping form in his arms and wondered if she knew the effect that she had on him. As though she knew what he was thinking, and as if to tease him, she snuggled in even deeper in his arms. That made his breath catch in his throat again. 

            Trowa's mind wanted to take her to her bed and put her to sleep, but his body wanted something else altogether. He smiled wryly. Who would have ever thought that he could be in a situation like this? He stood there doing nothing, just looking down at her face and feeling the feel of her against his body. Her long hair tickled his bare stomach, but it felt good. Suddenly, a slight frown crossed her features and he frowned in response. He had this sudden inexplicable urge to find out what caused her to frown. He looked up and that seemed to bring him back to reality. He smiled to himself again. She did seem to have an unusual effect on him and more than likely she didn't even know about it. He willed himself to walk to her room. He put her down on the bed and was wondering if he should change her clothes. Put her into pyjamas for example. It would be a shame to spoil such a nice dress. 

            Speaking of dress, it was the first time that he actually took time to look at her properly. Her dress was black and though it covered all the areas of interest (…Ahem…), was also strangely revealing. Black suited her and added to her ever present air of mystery. And her dress was modest too, which made her appear all the more mysterious and at the same time all the more sexy. He didn't want that dress to be spoilt, but at the same time, changing her clothes was also not a good idea. Not that he would mind, but he didn't know how much he could take without his control actually snapping and not to mention Jade's fury and anger when she found out that he had changed her into her pyjamas. No, it was definitely not worth the risk.

            He began getting up, but stopped midway when he heard Jade say,

            "Please don't leave me. Not again. Please don't." 

            Her voice had a desperate edge to it and he turned around to look. He thought she was calling him.

            "Please don't leave me. Please don't. Please don't."

            A tiny glistening tear dropped from underneath a closed eyelid.

            'She looks so helpless, so…so…so vulnerable,' He thought to himself.

            'Even a normally calm and controlled person like her can't escape her dreams.'

            And this fact Trowa knew all to well. He had been plagued by his dreams and nightmares ever since he could remember. The fact that he didn't let the world know was a different thing altogether.

            "Please don't go," she said again and another tear escaped from underneath her eyelids. Trowa went back to her and embraced her tightly. He stroked her hair and whispered to her in a soothing voice, "Nobody's going to leave you Jade. No one. We'll always be there for you. I'll always be there."

            He kept rocking back and forth and kept whispering to her till he was sure that the nightmare had passed and she was sound asleep again. He wondered to whom she was telling not to go, who was that person? He decided that he would ask her tomorrow, probably after she recovered from the killer hangover that she was going to get.

================================================================

**A/N:** Hey! What happened to the reviews? Is anybody even reading it or no? Am I just wasting my already scarce time? Please tell me if I am. 

_And for those people who are still with me, I thank you for bearing with me. I sincerely apologise for the delay in the publishing of this chapter. It was because I had practically no time. I was (and still am) really really busy with school and stuff. Its practically raining tests and assignments here. The next chapter will be late in coming out too and not that long either. Please forgive me. T_T Love you always, Devil._

**On with the story:**

**            Who do you think is Jade talking about in her sleep?**

**            And what exactly does Trowa feel for Jade? Is it just physical or something deeper than that?**

**            And what about Heero and Relena?  Is Jade right?**

**            Will Relena's arrival affect the Pilots in anyway?**

**            And where is Wufei?!?!**


	13. An eventful Morning

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

**_A/N: Please read A/N at the end. Its long, but please read it.^_^_**

**Chapter 13: An eventful morning**

                        Trowa woke up early. He hadn't been able to get much sleep last night. The reason being quite obvious. He decided to go and make something to eat for himself. He wasn't going to go and wake up Jade. He wondered if she had ever had alcohol before. He was busy preparing breakfast when he heard Jade get up. He picked up the breakfast tray and carried it to her room. She was sitting up in bed with her hands on her temples. Her hair was tousled and her dress was creased and bunched up in interesting places. One of straps of her dress had slipped down from her shoulder. Her eyes were heavy with sleep and she was in obvious pain. Trowa just stood in the doorway stupidly looking at her, though his face was as inexpressive as ever. She sensed him and looked up and smiled at him even though she had a headache.  He forced himself to smile at her. He would have to be careful with his feelings around her. She was an empath and a sharp one at that.

            "Breakfast?" He asked her.

            "Got some pills?" she asked him.

            "Try some hot tea first." With that he handed her a cup of tea and settled down on her bed with the breakfast. 

            "I'd better wash my face first."

            "Okay."

            She slid off from the bed and righted her dress, went to her closet and picked out her pyjamas and a towel, and exited towards the bathroom. On her way out, she grabbed the doorjamb to help her deal with the killer headache. The headache was killing her. She was wondering what has caused that headache. As far as she remembered, she did not have any alcohol neither did she gorge on the food. She wasn't ill either. She tried to ignore the headache and tried to freshen up. She stole a glance at herself in the mirror above the sink. She was a mess. She changed her clothes and looked at her dress. It needed a trip to the dry-cleaners. 

            She returned to her room. Trowa was looking trough her collection of books. Her own personal library, she was proud of it. She just walked around him and flopped back down on her bed. The headache was really driving her crazy. She felt a hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes. Trowa was there. She wasn't even able to heed her emphatic abilities. They seemed somehow… muffled. 

            "Headache?"

            "A monster of a headache."

            "Did you have the tea yet?"

            "No."

            "Have it. It'll help."

            "How do you know?"

            "Aren't we a bit touchy? It's a hangover that you have. The tea will help a bit."

            "A hangover?" She asked him bluntly.

            "Yes, A hangover. You were drunk last night."

            "What?"

            "What did you drink last night?"

            "I dunno, water, juice and just some drinks that Duo and Hilde gave me."

            Suddenly realisation dawned on her, and Trowa grinned. She jumped out of her bed and was out of the door in a flash. 

            "Oh boy! Duo's in for it now." Trowa said to himself.

            He decided to wait for a while before he checked on the situation. Meanwhile, he sat there on her bed, happily eating his breakfast.

~~~~~~~~~~

            Duo was still in bed when Jade barged right in. 

            "Where did you get the key?" He asked in a sleepy voice when he saw her.

            "I don't need a key," she stated blandly, her eyes were burning.

            "Hey what's wrong?" Duo asked her, concern in his voice. Whether that concern was regarding her well being or his safety, it is hard to tell.

            Without further ado, she pulled him out of the bed by the black T-shirt that he was wearing.

            "Hey cool down, what's wrong?" He asked her, trying to free himself from her death grip.

            "You are what's wrong. I'm going to kill you after what you did last night."

And she punched him right in the jaw. He staggered back and then stared at her as though she had sprouted horns or something.

            "You hit me?!"

            "Yes I did and I am going to kill you," she said with venom in her voice. 

            "This time I am not going to hold back Jade and you don't have Trevor to save you," Duo said equally venomously.

            "Bring it on. Time to show you that I am not any weakling that you think I am and last time Trevor stopped me from breaking your neck," She said with an evil smirk. 

            Duo smirked too and then charged towards her in order to punch her. She dodged him effortlessly.

            "You are fast but not fast enough," she said before landing another punch in his gut.

~~~~~~~~~~

            Trowa finished his breakfast and washed up the plates, and then glanced at his watch. She had been gone for about fifteen minutes and he could still hear breaking noises. Most likely, Heero was not home and they were beating each other up. He got up and went to the adjoining suite. The door was open. He walked in. What he saw made his eyes wide as saucers.

             The room was a mess and the two of them were fighting in a tangle of braids. After a while, both of them were on the ground in a very compromising position, with Jade beating the hell out of Duo. And Duo was fighting back too. He managed to fling her away and managed to dislocate her shoulder. And what was really surprising was that she popped it back into place and charged back at him. Trowa caught her midway and just then Heero entered. He had gone somewhere.

            "Jade calm down," Trowa tried to reason with her. She was squirming to get away from him. 

            "Let me go Trowa, I do not want to hit you."

            "Enough. Calm down. We are going back. Remember you have a headache."

            "Beating him helped."

Duo was brushing off the imaginary dirt from his shirt. Heero assessed the situation and then looked at Duo. Jade had stopped squirming and was glaring daggers at Duo.

            "So Duo? You got beat up by a girl?" Heero asked him with a sneer.

            Jade glared at Heero and went and punched him in the gut causing him to keel over in pain.

            "Just so you know Heero, I am not just any girl." With that she walked out of the door. Trowa just looked at the two guys who had been punched by Jade and then quietly walked out closing the door behind him.

            When he entered his suite, he found Jade lying down on the couch, with her hand on her head. She opened one eye when she heard him come in and gave him a weak smile.

            "I was wondering how you managed to beat him up with that headache that you have. Looking at you now, no one would say that you did that much damage."

            That brought an unexpected laugh from her.

            "I don't know either. I guess it just happened. I was angry at him and at myself."

            He went towards the couch and she scooted over a bit to let him sit. He went and sat down beside her. 

            "I would never have thought of you being capable of doing that."

            She was about to say something, but he silenced her.

            "Your breakfast's getting cold and you need your rest."

            She could not disagree with that. She just nodded weakly and said, "Thanks Trowa."

            He walked away to get her the breakfast that she had abandoned in favour of beating up Duo.

            When he came back she seemed to be fast asleep. He put the tray down and shook her. She awoke with a grimace.

            "Hurts?"

            "Duh."

            "Sorry."

            "No probs. Got an Advil?"

            "Breakfast first."

            "Fine."

            She took the offered food and finished it off in no time.

            "Advil please." 

            "You seem to be feeling better," he told her while handing her the Advil that she so badly wanted.

            "Yeah. The breakfast, sleep and beating Duo up helped."

            "Your hair's all tangled."

            "Huh?"

            "I said …"

            "I heard it the first time."

            "So why did you look at me like that?"

            "I just never expected you to say something like that."

            "Do you mind if I brush it out for you?"

            "Huh?!?!"

            "You are hurt and I can see that your ribs are bruised. I don't think that you will be quiet able to reach the back of your head."

            "Yea, you are right. The brush is on my table."

            On the way to her room Trowa kept thinking to himself. What in the world had possessed him to ask her if he could brush her hair? Maybe it was just the fact that he had wanted to run his hands through her hair right since the time he saw her and now was probably the best chance that he might get. 

            He got her brush and she took it from him. That stunned him a bit.

            At the look of surprise on his face she just said, "Don't worry, I can manage it. I can reach the back of my head easily enough."      

            "If you say so"

            He handed her the brush and left to go to his room. He had a few assignments to do. He hadn't had a chance to tell her that he had broken up with Sonia and neither had any of the other guys. Speaking of guys, he just realized that Jade seemed to get along with guys much better than with girls. Not that she didn't get along with the girls; it was just that she seemed to get along better with guys. He was still thinking about that and he had walked back into the living room. He saw that Jade was not there. She must have most probably gone back to her room. He could hear grunts and other noises coming from her room. Only God knew what she was doing there. He went back to his room.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

He had handed her the brush and then went to his room. She took the brush form him and combed out the tangled mass of hair. It took her about ten minutes to get everything straightened out. She then got up and went to her room. There was still the dull throbbing pain in her head, but she could live with it. Trowa was being overly nice to her. She wondered why.

            "He wanted to brush my hair. Why?" she said to herself in a low voice. "Why the hell would he want to do that?"  She was scowling but somehow the scowl changed into a smirk. He was one funny person. Though no one in their right mind would call Trowa funny in any way, she found his perpetually stoic face and apathetic manner funny. 

            She couldn't remember going into her room. She decided that Trowa must have put her in her bed. That morning he seemed to know just what she needed. 

            "Why was he being so nice?" she thought to herself.

            It had felt good beating up Duo. He had gotten better than the last time, but she was still the better fighter. He was quick and all, but he was very predictable. He had managed to land quite a few punches and kicks compared to the last time and this time surprisingly, he had even been able to dislocate her shoulder. It hurt like crazy, but she could live with it. She was strong. She decided to put a bandage around her bruises and sprains. She took care of the minor injuries easily, but she wasn't able to reach the bruise on her back. Mainly because of the pain in her ribs and also because of the dislocated shoulder. She tried her best, but she could not reach behind her back.

            "Looks like I'm going to have the clown boy for help." She took the roll of bandage and went to Trowa's room.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hearing the knock at his bedroom door, he got up to see who it was. It was most probably Jade, but it could also be Heero or Duo. Neither of them ever needed keys to open doors.

            "Open the door. It's just me."

Yes, it was Jade. She must have sensed his hesitation.

            "Hey open up already."

He opened the door to have a fist pounded into his chest. He staggered back a few feet from the impact. Boy did that girl pack a punch!

            "Sorry. I'm soooo sorry. I didn't mean to do that," Jade said apologetically, slightly rubbing the spot where she had accidentally hit him, hoping that it would release some of his pain. What she didn't know was that, that simple touch caused butterflies to flutter in Trowa's stomach. He just stood there looking at her while she ran her hand over his chest. After a while she looked up. She saw him looking at her and only then did she realise what she had been doing. She immediately turned away to face away from him.

            "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that," She murmured.

            'Didn't mean to do what? Hit me or do what she was doing right now?' Trowa thought to himself. However, he only said, "Its okay."

            There was an uncomfortable silence for a while, during which Jade was trying to look at anything other than Trowa. Finally he broke the silence.   

            "So what is it that you wanted?"

            "Oh! Sorry, I forgot."

            "You are pretty apologetic today."

            "Sorry, didn't mean to be."

            "See what I mean? You just apologised."

            "Sorry."

            "Okay so what is it that you wanted?

            "I wanted you to bandage up my shoulder and my ribs."

            "You want me to do what?"

            "Bandage up…"

            "I heard it the first time. What I mean is why you need me to do it and how the hell am I supposed to do it." For him to do what she asked, she would have to take off her shirt, unless she wanted him to put the bandage over her shirt.

            She handed him the bandages and then started taking off her shirt. She managed to take it off with only one hand. Trowa couldn't take his eyes off her. She had well chiselled arms and a washboard stomach. And the olive complexion was overall, not just a tan. 

            "What are you waiting for, get on with it," She snapped

            "Uh…Yeah"

He went up to her and started tying the bandage around her ribs. He could see that they were badly bruised. He tried being as easy as possible.

            "Please so it properly," she requested and he complied. 

After a while he asked her, "Those are pretty bad bruises. Do they hurt?"

            "They hurt but I can live with it."

            She was strong. He had known many people who would be complaining like crazy about bruises like hers. He finished bandaging her ribs and then moved on to her shoulder. Since she had popped it, he thought that it would be better to check the condition. To his surprise, she had managed to fix it exactly correctly.

            "Surprised? Don't be. I have done this before many a times. Just position it properly and bandage the muscle that I sprained in the process."

            From her tone he could make out that she had done it before. He did as she asked and then looked up at her.

            "Feeling better now?" he asked her while getting up.

            "Yes, thanks."  She stood up too. And unexpectedly gave him a hug. He was stunned for a while, but then slowly wrapper his arms around her waist careful not to touch her already injured ribs. 

            "Another favour. Can you help me put on my shirt?" she asked.

            "Okay."

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**A/N:** **Yep. Another chapter. Shorter than the first ones and late as usual. Its 1.05 am (at night) and I have just finished typing and rechecking this thing. I hope you like it. It's a bit sappy and out of focus, but its just something that I wanted to write. What I have done is for a reason. You will realise that in further chapters. I know I have abandoned Duo and Hilde and Quatre and Dorothy in the past few chappies. Do you want me 2 elaborate on their relationship too? If so please tell me. I was planning 2 make it basically a Trowa/oc fic and secondary Heero/Relena fic.**

**As for Wufei. He will be making an appearance in the later chapters. I do hope you like it till now. **

**And thank you once again for reading this fic of mine. I thank all the reviewers. I am sorry I don't do personal responses, but I love you all and do keep reading. And I would like some ideas too (though I already have the story line, I can always incorporate the ideas in the story). Please review. Reviews encourage me. If it weren't fro reviews this chapter would be out much later than this. If you think some parts are bad or inappropriate do tell me. All comments are appreciated.^_^**


	14. For DMHS fans Let me warn you it isn't m...

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

Rated for lime. If any such content offends you, please stop right here. This is a chapter dedicated to DM/HS fans. Though the main focus of the story is TB/Jade^_^. I know you people will hate me for this.

**Chapter 13: The tickling match**

            "Hey leggo."

            "Stop squirming."

            "Never. Never will I submit so easily Duo Maxwell," Hilde said indignantly

            "Is that so little bird?" He asked her momentarily halting his tickling assault on her. She nodded, mischief clear in the blue depths. He smirked at her and started his assault again.

            "And I will make you."

            "Even if it takes you the whole day?"

            "Why of course!"

            "hey, leggo. Stop, Duo!"

            "Do you give up?"

            "Nooooo... Hey stop that…hehehehe… Its cheating. No grabbing from behind."

            "I already grabbed you. Whose gonna stop me?" He asked her, triumph evident in his eyes. He stopped his tickling for a fraction of a second and his hold around her waist loosened a bit. It was enough for her to turn around in his embrace.

            "Now Leibhan, its my turn."

            Suddenly it dawned onto Duo as to what he had let her do. His expression quickly changed from triumph to a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. Hilde almost laughed pout loud and launched into a no holds barred assault on Duo. And it turned out that he was even more ticklish than her.

            "Now who's the one who is ticklish?" She asked, stopping for a while to catch her breath.

            "Me, and one thing babe, never stop while you attack, big mistake."

            But before Duo could start tickling her, she started tickling him that sent him into another fit of giggles and laughter.

            "Let…me…breathe." He managed to blurt out between peals of laughter.

            She stopped and flopped down on the carpet. He flopped down beside her. They were in Hilde's apartment. The one that she shared with Dorothy.

            "You are ruthless," he told her.

            She just looked up at him with smiling eyes, but she saw something that she hadn't expected to see there. His eyes were clouded. She immediately jumped up, but her caught her wrist and pulled her down.  

            "Duo, no," she told him.

            He just ignored her and went on, "and stubborn…and that's why I love you."

            She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could say anything, he silenced her with a searing kiss. She resisted at first. Just for the sake of being stubborn. She felt him smile against her lips, and just as suddenly as it had come, the kiss stopped, and she found herself missing the feel of his lips on hers. She almost leaned onto him. 

            "Aren't we stubborn?" he whispered against her lips. "But I love the challenge." And once again before she could say anything, he kissed her again. But this time, he was in for a surprise, but a pleasant one. She opened up to him readily. His tongue hungrily plundered her mouth and she followed her lead. But once again, he ended the kiss far too soon for her liking. And once again he whispered against her lips, "And pretty impatient too." And he smiled. "and should…" 

            This time Hilde silenced him. She kissed him and he readily gave in. While they were kissing, their hands wandered around of their own accord. After a long, long moment, they finally broke the kiss for the much needed air.

            "You are unpredictable," he told her, rebraiding his hair that she had unbraided, during the whole kissing escapade. 

            "And you like me that way," She informed him, while straightening her shirt.

            "True, too true. I wouldn't have it any other way."

            She laughed out loud. 

"I still remember how much I had to work to get you to admit to me that you loved me too." He said seriously.

" I just wanted to make you work for it," She said playfully. " I probably fell in love with right since the moment I saw you."

"And you still made me work for it!" he said incredulously.

She just nodded. "Couldn't have you playing with my feelings, could I?" she said.

"Should have known." He mumbled to himself. "I try to make a lady love me and end up making a fool of myself."       

"Aww, don't feel so sad. I liked every bit of it and loved you even more, if that is possible."

"Serious?" He asked. He looked like a child who had been told that his lost puppy wasn't really lost, but was just kept hidden. 

"Serious." She said and gave him a teasing kiss.

"Hey that wasn't enough," he said.

"My, my, aren't we a bit impatient today?" she said teasingly.

"Look who's talking." With that he grabbed her and pulled her into his lap (they were sitting down on the carpet) and started tickling her.

"Hey, not again!" 

The tickling match continued for a while. After a while both of them lay down on the carpet exhausted.

"Boy, you do know how to scream," Duo told Hilde when he had caught his breath.

She giggled.

"It's a defence mechanism," she said while trying to fix her unruly mop of hair.

"I like it that way."

"What?" she asked him. She had no clue as to what he was talking about.

"Your hair. It gives you a wild air." He said with his eyes closed.

"So what are you suggesting? I'm a wild animal?" she asked him.

"You could say so," he said, his eyes still closed. Had they been open he would have seen what was coming at him, but since they were closed, what came next came as a complete surprise.

"OOOF"

"You say wild, huh?" she asked from her position on his chest.

He smiled at her and held her hands.

"See what I mean?" he asked her and pulled her down, so now she was practically sprawled over him. When she noticed the position that they were in, she blushed. He just saw the look on her face and laughed. He pulled her in another kiss and though she tried to resist at first, she soon gave in, she couldn't do anything much anyways.

"Ahem…"

Both of them sat up and when they saw who was at the door, both of them blushed. Jade was standing there in the doorway, blushing slightly.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for Dorothy and you forgot to close the door. I'm sorry," she said apologetically.

Duo recovered first. He smiled at her. They had gotten over their fight a long time ago, neither of them were the type to keep grudges.

"No problem, just a little tickling match." He said with a grin.

"Sure didn't look that way to me," Jade said.

"Got a little side-tracked," Hilde answered, her blush deepening.

"So who won?"

"Huh…?" Both Hilde and Duo said together.

"I asked you who won."

"It was a draw."

"Oh! Okay. I should be leaving now."

She left immediately and closed the door behind her.

"So now can we get back to what we were doing?" Duo asked Hilde innocently. 

"What were we doing?" She asked in the same tone, though her eyes said something else.

"Looks like someone needs a little reminder," he said slyly and held her in his arms when the door opened again.

"Get a room you two," came a monotone from the doorway. This had to be Heero.

"Go away," Duo said.

"I have to talk to you baka," Heero said.

"Not now."

"Right now."

"Let me go Duo. Finish your talking. I'll see if I can find Relena."

"She isn't here. Had to attend one of her meetings," Heero informed her.

"So now you are the one stalking her, eh?" Duo said.

He only got the death glare as an answer. But it was an answer enough and it was enough to make Duo grin even wider.

"Anywho… so what did you want to talk about?"

It didn't take long for them to finish talking, since it was Heero doing most of the talking and Duo doing most of the listening. Hilde was there all the time. Before Heero left he said, " And I suggest you close the door before you continue."

================================================================

**A/N:** **Short chapter, boring and short, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but it was just something for DM/HS fans. Next chapter I will be back on track with the tension between Trowa and Jade as well as Heero's confusion and Relena's dilemma. Keep reading. **

**            Once again I am sorry that this chapter was out late, but hey I hardly got any reviews for the last chapter. It was less inspiration to keep me going you know. Just review. Even if you think it is bad, say so. If you thing it sucks, say so. I don't mind flames and cussing. Feel free to say what you want. And don't hesitate to give me ideas about what you would like in the story. Though I have the main plot, I can always make a few additions. ^_^.**

**            And I hope you are reading. Please review and a big thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter.**


	15. And I thought that fainting was just a g...

**A Shot at Normalcy: University Life**

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

Back on track. I didn't get many reviews guys and I'm highly disappointed, though I thank all those who took their time to read and review. You people keep me going. Love ya.

**A/N: I reloaded this chapter, because I just felt like adding a few more parts to it. And if you are wondering why they are sick, (I know you are, Kira R.Chan ^_~) They just are. Its just some bug that they caught.**

**Chapter 15: And I thought that fainting was just a girl thing**

            Heero was feeling slightly uncomfortable. Seems like he was coming down with something. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt like they were glued together. He finally gave up the effort. His head was hurting like hell too. He was definitely coming down with something. He decided to sleep for a little bit longer. His alarm hadn't sounded yet. 

Speak of the devil… the annoying thing just went off. Time to get up. There was this weird sensation within his head, like a hammer pounding his skull to powder… from inside. And he felt a huge weight on his head, when he sat up abruptly.

Hn. Nothing that a few tablets can't take care of.' He thought to himself.

He tried getting out of bed and felt a wave of dizziness sweep over him.

"Luckily, I only have half a day at the Building," he muttered to himself. 

He walked out of his room, only to find Duo humming to himself. Some old song, from that song collection that Hilde had. A gift from her grandmother or something. Duo did have a good voice. Heero peeped into the kitchen. 

Duo was busy making breakfast. He was also dancing to the tune that he was singing. Heero noticed that he was a good dancer too. (A/N: No people! They are straight in this fic. Minds out of the gutter. Now!) Heero shook his head. He hoped that Duo would not make a mess out of breakfast this time. He was feeling too tired to even kick Duo's @ss, if he blew up the kitchen again. 

He was going to go into the bathroom when Duo said to him, "Don't look too good, Heero. What's the matter?"

"Just a headache. Nothing that a few tablets can't cure."

With that he entered the bathroom, and started the shower… on hot. 

Ahhh… It felt so good.

He came out of the bathroom all dressed and ready. He headed for the breakfast that was waiting for him on the table.

"Looks like Duo's gone to his room," He muttered eyeing the food.

The food, though he couldn't make out what it was, smelt good. He tried eating it, experimentally. Hm. Not bad. It tasted good too.

He ate up the rest without complaint and then started looking for the pills that he had to take. He couldn't find them in his room.

"Duo, I need the headache pills. Where are they?" He asked in a monotone.

"Check the medicine cabinet, baka," Duo retorted.

"Oh yes, the medicine cabinet," He muttered to himself unintelligently. 

            He found what he was looking for immediately. He took about four pills and washed them down with a gulp of water. He knew that four pills was more than the recommended dosage, but hell… since when had he been normal?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trowa woke up and flopped back down again. He just plain could not get up. His head was hurting like a bitch and he wanted to bang it against the wall in hopes of making the headache go away. He heard a knock at his door. 

That had to be Jade

"Wake up lazy bones, breakfast is ready and you need to get ready too," she said.

"Hmmnnnn," he mumbled into his pillow. Unfortunately, his classes were spread out throughout the day. And boy! It was going to be a long day too. 

He tried pulling himself out of bed. The moment he slid out of the blankets, he felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped below freezing. And he couldn't open his eyes, for the fact that his head was practically killing him. He stood up and walked shakily to his clothes cabinet. He took out a T-shirt and a sweatshirt. He slipped them on. He walked out of his room and went and sat down on the couch.

"Hey! Wake up big boy, you haven't even brushed your teeth yet," Jade said from the kitchen. She could see him in the mirror above the washbasin the corridor that connected the kitchen to the living room.

"Okay," He mumbled before going to do what he was told.

Normally, he would have come up with a witty retort to the way she was treating him, but today, he was feeling like shit. He couldn't even function properly. And thinking of Jade, she had opened up a lot to him lately, she even made fun of him. Earlier she was a bit reserved. She was reserved now too, but she had opened up more. They were beginning to be friends, and he noticed one thing. The more he got to know her, the more he liked her… or should say…loved her? He wasn't sure what he felt for her.

But no time to think about that. He had to get ready and find some pain medication. He was brought out of his reverie when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to look into a pair of intense black eyes, and they were worried.

"You look like shit, are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Nice way to make me feel good…"look like shit"." He muttered sarcastically. What had gotten into him? She was worried about him and he was snapping at her. But hey, he was sick and brain was not functioning properly, remember?

"Hey, I'm just worried about you okay?" She said in her defence.

"Stop worrying about me, I'm not some kid. Telling me to do this and that," he snapped at her.

"Well, sorry for caring," she snapped back and whirled around, her braid whipping him on the arm. She sounded hurt.

Look what he had done. Hurt the person he wanted to be close to. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again.

He walked towards her. She had walked out into the living room. He started to follow her, but felt a bit dizzy, he held onto to the doorjamb till it passed.

She had gone to her room and was now walking towards him, He straightened himself and stared to walk towards her and he was overcome by dizziness and blackness. He closed his eyes and let himself fall. He heard his name in a distance before he lost it all.

"Trowa," Jade shouted before rushing to his side as he slid to the ground.

He had fainted, just like that. She knew he was sick, but didn't expect him to be that sick. He had been a Gundam pilot. Hell, He was supposed to have more tolerance than that.

She went to him and cradled his head and shoulders in her arms. She was startled at what she felt.

"Gods! You are burning up!" she exclaimed to his prone form, though she knew that he couldn't hear her.

"What in the world possessed you to go walking about, when you were that sick?" she chided him. She looked at him again.

"Now what do I do? You just faint on me like that," she mumbled to herself.

She pulled him up in a standing pose and practically lifted him off the ground, bridal style!

"Hmnph. You are heavy for a person with your frame," she commented.

He was a lot larger than she was, but she still managed to carry him to his room without any casualties. She put him in his bead and covered him up. She sat down on his bedside beside him after her exertion. She was thinking about something when she happened to glance at his alarm clock and that sent alarm bells ringing in her head. How long had she been sitting there? According to the clock it was atleast half an hour that she had been just sitting there. She still had to get ready for her day at work (A/N: she was in a co-op program^_^) and make excuses for her room mate.

She was just about to get up when she felt someone grab her hand and she had a pretty good idea of who that someone was. Normally, she would have punched the person right back, but this time she decided to make an exception. She turned around and looked directly into a pair of emerald eyes. Trowa was sitting up.

"Lie back down idiot, you are burning up," she snapped at him, while she freed her hand from his grasp, or rather tried to. 

He just looked at her in surprise. 

"How did I get here?" he asked her

"How did you think you got here?" She snapped. She hadn't forgiven him for his behaviour earlier or for the fact that he fainted on her without warning.

"……….." He was now totally confused. According to him, he must have either sleep walked or she must have carried/dragged him here. Both of these possibilities seemed impossible to him.

"I carried you here and could you please leave my hand?" she answered coolly after seeing the confused look on his face.

"You carried me?" he asked while trying to get out of bed.

"Yes, I did and what are you doing? You are supposed to be resting," She said as she pushed him back on the bed. He was feeling dizzy and falling back didn't help, so he did the only thing that he could do, grabbed the only support that he saw, i.e, Jade, pulling her down with him.

"Hey…" She all but squeaked as her eyes went wide and she fell against him. She opened her mouth to say something, but looked away, when she saw the position they were in. Luckily, Trowa didn't seem to notice.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to take a day off," She half muttered to herself before getting up.

"Don't go. Please."

"Huh?" she turned around at the voice. Trowa was looking at her through half closed eyelids and his throat sounded sore. He looked so vulnerable then.

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I'll have to call to take a day off and also to make an excuse for you. If I leave you like this, either you'll end up killing yourself or this place will be in ruins."

"Shhh... go back to sleep. I'll be back." Before she left she went back and gave him a glass of water with a few pain meds. He nodded and took the medicine from her. 

They said it was fine if she took a day off. She was a really good employee and because of her record they could allow her a few days off. There would be no problem at the university either. Trowa could complete his hours for the week sometime later. It wasn't his fault that he was sick. 

When she came back, Trowa was sleeping like a baby. She smiled at the sight. She closed the door and left quietly, she had to get some stuff from the management and she could work on it in Trowa's room. He wouldn't mind, if she used his table. She was not going to let him be alone when he was sick. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heero was having the worst possible day of his life.

"It was better when I self-detonated," he mumbled to himself. He was trying hard not to fall asleep. How in this whole wide world had he caught something like that. And that stupid professor of theirs was bent on making his life hell. He and Duo were always picked on. 

Their professor had just cracked a joke (which targeted Heero).

"I swear if this goes on for a moment longer, I'm gonna shoot his brains out," Heero mumbled so that only Duo could hear him.

"Calm down bud."

"I told ya, you shouldn't have come today," Duo told Heero as they were walking out of the classroom.

"you never told me that."

"Yeah, sorry. But I'm telling you now. Go home."

Heero *Glares at Duo. Trying to burn a hole through his head*

"Hey are you okay?" 

Great! Just Great! Another person to bother him. He recognised the voice. It was Jade. Where did she come from? She wasn't even supposed to be here.

He only glared at her.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" Duo asked her.

"Yeah, I took a day off."

"Why? And what are you doing here?" Heero asked her.

"Just came to collect some stuff from the management," She answered.

They heard some girls squeal in the background and Heero groaned, the high pitched sound assaulting his sensitive hearing.

"What's up with you guys being sick and all?" she asked Heero and Duo. They always sat together.

Duo just shrugged and Heero just walked away.

"What do you mean by, "you guys"?" Duo asked her. It was like he had only just assimilated what Jade had said earlier.

"Yeah, Trowa isn't here."

"Why what happened?"

"He's sick. Had a bad headache, was all cranky and stuff and he fainted," she told him.

"Fainted?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if Heero fainted, too. He is showing the same symptoms."

"Hn. Wouldn't be the first time," Duo said.

"Well, anyways. I should go back now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Trowa woke up, he was feeling a bit better. She turned around to get a glass of water that he kept on his table. He was greeted by a sight that made him smile slightly. 

Jade was sitting at his table, or rather sleeping at his table. She had her laptop on and had her head in front of the keyboard. The glass was on the other side, i.e. farther away from Trowa. 

He just extended his arm and took the bottle of water and the glass. That movement seemed to wake her up.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him through half closed lids.

"Better but still feel like shit," He said in a hoarse voice.

"She took the bottle from him and poured him a glass of water.

"Thanks," he said accepting the glass.

"For what?" She asked him with a bewildered expression.

"For everything," He said after downing his glass of water.

"Hey! I couldn't have you ruin this place or end up hurting yourself," She said in a mock-protest.

He smiled.

"You should sleep. I'll go make some soup. I'll wake you up when I'm done."

He nodded. It was too much effort to speak.

She got up and left. The laptop was still on. He had this curious urge to go and look at what she had in there.  He shifted towards his table and took the laptop in his lap.

"Put it back Trowa," came her voice from the kitchen.

He stiffened, but still did not out it back.

"Trowa, I said put it back and you are supposed to be resting," she said again.

This time though he put it back and turned the screen away from him.

How the hell did she know he was handling her laptop? Did she have some sort of a connection with it or what?

"Soup's up," She said as she carried two bowls of steaming hot soup into the room.

She handed him a bowl and took the other one for herself. She put down her bowl and warned him that the soup was hot while shutting down her precious. (i.e. her laptop).

"How did you know?" He asked after a while.

"You make a lot of noise," She told him.

He smirked at that. She could have well been one of them, but then again, she already was accepted as one of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heero was dead tired and by dead tired, I mean DEAD tired. He came back to his room halfway through the morning. He couldn't take it anymore. He slipped back into his PJs and decided to take a nap.

"Better take some more of that stuff before I sleep," he said to himself. The medication had taken care of his pain, but he still felt like shit.

He went to the kitchen, grabbed some yoghurt, finished it off and proceeded to the medicine cabinet. He told four of the pills again and went to his room to take the said nap.

He was feeling tired and drowsy, but some how he couldn't sleep. He was just too miserable.

Just when he was dozing off, he heard a slight knock on the door.

Who the hell was it now? He got up groggily out of bed and made his way to the door. He noticed that he was feeling dizzy.

He opened the door. Relena was standing there. You can imagine the shock on his face on seeing her there. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked her.

"Can't I just come and see you?" She asked, a little bit hurt by his manner.

"Hn." That was when she saw him stagger a bit 

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"Yeah, I'm…" and *thump*. He just slid to the floor.

The door clicked open just as Relena cradled his head in her lap.

"Yeah, just as I thought. He fainted, too," Jade said from the door.

"I guess, he is sick and being the idiot he is, he won't even admit it," Relena said with a slight smile.

"Trowa fainted in the morning and I told Duo that Heero didn't look too good either," Jade said helping Relena put Heero back in his bed.

"This is the third time that I have seen him like this. Second time that he actually fainted on me," Relena told Jade with a fond look on her face. She was looking at Heero.

"Hn. And here I was thinking that fainting was only a girls thing."

"Call me if you need any help, right next door," Jade told Relena.

"Thanks for your help. I'll just go and check on him before I leave," Relena said glancing back at the door.

After Jade left, Relena went back in to check on Heero.

"So I fainted on you for the second time?" He asked through closed eyes, when she went and sat by his side.

"You were not supposed to be listening," She told him. "Now hush."

"I'm sorry. My fault," Heero said opening his eyes, just a slit. She looked like an angel to him just sitting there.

"No. Not your fault, you just caught some bug. Trowa's sick too."

"I heard."

"You are supposed to be sleeping," She reminded him and started to get up, when he caught her hand and pulled her back down.

"Kiss me goodnight," he said, now looking straight into her eyes.

She just smiled. "Okay."

She tucked him in and kissed him on the forehead, like he was some baby that she was putting to bed. "Good night Heero," She whispered.

"No, Not like this."

"Then how?" she asked confused.

He pulled her down again and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

"Like this," He said after he pulled back. "Good night Relena."

She was in shock. Duo barging right in brought her back to reality and a slight blush tainted her cheeks. 

"Shhhh. He's sleeping," She told Duo.

"Oh! Sorry," Duo said apologetically, though his eyes were dancing. Relena saw this.

"It's not what you think Duo," She said quietly.

"Sure, sure."

"Hmmm. Good night Heero." And with that she closed the door and left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**_A/N: So people. How do you like this chapter? Its longer than the previous ones. And since I was on Christmas break, I could actually think. Personally, I like this chapter._**

****

**I also have a few questions for you guys. **

**1) Which zodiac sign do you think the Gundam pilots belong too? (individuals, of course)**

**2)What**** is Jade's Zodiac/Sunsign? (What do you think?)**

**I'll be posting the results that I get via the reviews in the upcoming chapters. Hope you enjoyed reading it and I won't mind a few pointers, suggestions, anything.**

****

**_If you think I'm wasting my time, please tell me so. ^_^_**

****

**_Please review. Love you all. _**

****

**_Ja_****_ ne,_**

****

**_Devil^_^-_**


	16. Yes Mommy

**A Shot at Normalcy: University Life**

Disclaimer: - How many times exactly do u need me to say that I do not own Gundam Wing?

Gomen ne. I haven't been able to update for a while now. No, no writer's block. It was just school, and extra curricular activities and life being a total bitch that prevented me from updating. But no excuses. No matter what, its my fault and I apologise. I hope this chapter is long enough and good enough.

**Chapter 16: yes mommy**

            Jade caught Relena coming out of Heero's apartment room. 

            "So why is our pretty princess blushing?" she asked Relena with a smirk.

            "Oh! Didn't see you there."

            "Is it why is think it is?" Jade asked, her smirk widening into something like a smile.

            Relena smiled in return and asked, "And why do u think it is?"

            "You really want to know?" Jade asked with a quirked eyebrow. "Why don't you come inside?"

            Relena glanced at her watch. "I guess, I can stay for a while. I don't have anything better to do anyway."

~~~~~~~

"Thank me for keeping Duo from barging in earlier."

"Huh?"

"So he kissed you?"

Relena blushed again.

"Is nothing a secret from you?" Relena asked.

"Nothing about friends atleast."

"hn."

"Now you are sounding like Heero."

"No, I was just thinking."

"Thinking what?"

"You mean you don't know? I thought you were a mind reader."

"nope, sorry. Just an empath. So what were you thinking?"

"About Heero. I doubt if he will remember this kiss tomorrow."

"Can't tell for sure. That guy goes into denial pretty easily."

"Hmm. One day he is so nice and the other day, he won't even talk to me properly. It's like I'm some thorn in his side."

"He just needs time to deal with his feelings. But be happy, this is the first step. What if he was sick? Atleast now you know that he has feelings for you."

They were interrupted by a crash in Trowa's room.

"It seems your patient needs your immediate attention. I should be leaving now."

"Yeah, I guess so. That's the reason why I didn't go to work today. By the time I would have come back, this place would have been in ruins."

Relena just laughed and got up to leave when they heard another crash. 

"Better see what it is now. Bye"

"Bye Relena, see you soon."

After she closed the door, she muttered to herself,"Trowa if any one of those crashes was my laptop, I swear I will kill you before I ask you what's wrong."

She opened the door to his room. There was a broken glass on the floor; luckily there was no water in it. It must have collided with the wall and broken. It was going to be hard getting the little glass shard out of the carpet now. The second object on the floor was his shattered alarm clock, which also had the misfortune of meeting the wall. So that was the beeping sound before the first crash.

"Want water?" she asked Trowa.

"Yeah."

"Wait a sec."

She left him like that and went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. She didn't want any broken glasses, so she decided to give him her own special, personal stainless steel glass.

"Isn't it your glass?" He asked her in a rough voice. She wondered if it was because he had just woken up or was it because he was sick.

"Yeah, but I do not wish to clean up more broken glasses."

She thought she saw him smile a bit when he took the glass from her, but she couldn't be sure. She just dismissed the thought and went to get the vacuum cleaner. She came back after a while.

"So… had a nice sleep?" she asked him while she lifted the big glass pieces.

"Yeah, I feel much better now, your soup worked."

"You sound much better, too."

She was beginning to plug in the cleaner when he started getting out of bed.

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom."

"Wear your slippers, there's glass on the floor."

"On your side," he reminded her and got off from the other side of the bed.

"If you faint again, I swear, I'll punch you in the face before carrying you back," she said while vacuuming. (A/N: the cleaner is the quiet variety)

"You swear a lot," he told her mildly as he walked out of the room.

"And what if I do?"  She said to herself.

She finished cleaning up the place and went to see what was taking him so long. She knocked on the bathroom door, but got no answer. 

"Trowa, you there?" she called.

"In here," He said from her room.

"What the heck are you doing in my room?" she said as she walked in. He was going through her collection of books.

"Just because you are feeling better doesn't mean that you start dancing around."

"I'm fine. I just needed a book and a change of scenery."

"Hmph. Now mister, listen and listen tight," she started, jabbing her finger at his chest with every word and invariably pushing him further backward towards her bed. "You are not going to do anything until you have regained full health." 

He was dangerously close to her bed and when she said," got it?" He stumbled backward and grabbed her shirt sleeve for support, pulling her along with him onto the bed. As he fell, he banged his head onto the wall. Jade didn't know what hit her. She just found herself losing balance and landing on top of Trowa as he hit his head.

"See what I mean?" She was oblivious to her position. Her face was just inches away from his.

"It was your fault. You pushed me." He said. He still hadn't let go of her shirt sleeve.

"But you lost your balance. It was your fault."

"It wasn't," he said in his usual calm manner and kept on looking at her face. Even though she hadn't realised their position, he had. She looked cute when she was annoyed.

"It was."

 He could tell that she wasn't angry, just annoyed. He was still looking at her face.

"Hmm."

"What?" She finally looked into his eyes and stiffened. They were in a very odd position indeed. She tried getting up, but he pulled her down again.

"Mind letting go of my shirt?" She asked him.

"Yes."

"What? You are supposed to let go."

"And what if I don't?"

"I bang your head against the wall a second time." She told him with a smile.

He smiled back and let her go.

"Ouch, my head hurts."

"Well, Duh! What else do you expect when you bump into the wall that hard. It's a miracle the wall hasn't cracked or something," she said as she got up. She extended a hand to help him up. He accepted the hand and pulled her back down on him. This time though, her reflexes were quicker. She used her other arm to break the fall, so she was a good arm's length above him rather than on him.

"What was that for?"

"Punishment for pushing me back."

"Right," she said as she hauled him up. 

"Get a book and back to bed, mister. I'll make you some more of that soup."

"Yes ma'am."

"And no late night TV either. Eat, take medicine and go to sleep. Heero's asleep already."

"He's sick too."

"Yes, and stop exerting yourself, you are still not fully recovered."

"Yes mommy."

=============================================================

Hehehe! I know I'm evil. They don't kiss yet. They still haven't figured out their feelings for each other. It will come on later though. And be prepared to see Heero act like a split personality when it comes to Relena. Wufei is coming soon. Next chapter may be. In the next chapter, I will be skipping a few more months and the boys will have recovered from their illness. Just so you know. 

Hope you like this chapter (though I didn't). I know it is short, pretty short actually, and crappy. This chapter was originally supposed to be a filler. But, please try to understand, exams are coming. I have two exams on Monday and two on Tuesday and its crazy. Life is not too good either. So please understand...

Gomen ne.


	17. Things get a bit serious

**A Shot at Normalcy: University Life**

Disclaimer: - How many times exactly do u need me to say that I do not own Gundam Wing?

Gomen ne. I haven't been able to update for a while now. No, no writer's block. It was just school, and extra curricular activities and life being a total bitch that prevented me from updating. But no excuses. No matter what, its my fault and I apologise. I hope this chapter is long enough and good enough**. PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END. IMPORTANT!**

**Chapter 17: Things get a bit serious.**

            He was walking down the halls with a building map in his hand. His hair was tied back in a tight little pony tail at the base of his neck and he was wearing a dark blue business suit that seemed to make him highly uncomfortable. His face held the same stern expression that it normally had, though his eyes appeared to be confused.

            "I wonder what you call a scholar, plus a soldier who cannot read a goddamned map?" he muttered to himself. 

            "Incompetent fool," someone answered for him. It was a whisper. An angry whisper.

            He turned around to see who said it. He just saw the end of a long black braid disappear around the corner. His eyes now held annoyance and anger. Who dares call him incompetent?! Ohhh! The next time he met that person, things were not going to be pleasant.

            He walked along that same corridor and came to a dead end. He clucked his tongue in annoyance and turned back. His nose buried in the map that he had. The next thing that he knew that the map along with his other papers was out of his hand and he was sitting on the floor and someone else, someone with a long black braid was sitting in front of him.

            "Idiot," she said rubbing her backside as she got up.

            "Pardon me?" he said in an annoyed tone, while trying to gather his papers. 

            It was the first time that she seemed to notice him.

            "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you," she said curtly as she bent down to help him gather his stuff.

            "Me neither and I think you owe me an apology," he said gathering up his stuff.

            "An apology? For what? If I'm not much mistaken I just apologized for bumping into you and it is you who owes me thanks for helping you."

            "Listen woman, I don't have all day. You apologize for calling me an incompetent fool and an idiot."

            "Watch your mouth mister. I did no such thing and I will not apologize."

            He grabbed her arm and held her there.

            "You will go nowhere until you apologize."

            "Let. Go. Right. Now," she said with her teeth clenched,

            He noticed her eyes for the first time. They were black like is, but the intensity of her gaze amazed him. 

            "I will not apologize for something I did not do and let go," She said in a calmer voice. It was like she was trying to regain the control she lost for that single instant. 

            He let go of her hand and asked her again, "Who were you talking about then?" 

            "Before.About a friend. Now.Myself." 

            He watched her again. She had pride. And strength.

            "And now I believe you owe me an apology," she said with a smile, though her eyes were still hard.

            "That I do. Sorry for that. I am a new professor around here." He said.

            "Yeah, I figured you were new." She studied him for a while and asked, "Hurts to apologise to a female?"

            His shocked expression was her answer.

            "Not to apologise for my wrong, Feels bad to misjudge."

            "I know what you mean. See you around." And with that she was off.

            "And if you're looking for the main office, check the first floor," she said as she disappeared down a hallway.

            "How the hell did she know what I was looking for," he muttered to himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "What took you so long?" Duo asked Jade.

            " I ran into someone."

            "Who?"

            "I dunno, Some new dude. Said he was a professor."

            "New? Hmmm. That's odd."

            "Yeah. I bet he isn't much older than you or me. I bet you'll be seeing him around."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Thank you for showing up."

            "I am also a scholar."

            "I know that. Lucrezia wants to know if its still the same you," Zechs told him.

            Wufei smirked.

            "Tell her that I am my usual self." 

            "So what will you be teaching here?"

            "Chinese Philosophy and history. So what was I called here for?"

            "You know Relena's here?"

            "Yes."

            "You know the rest are here?"

            "The others?"

            "Yes."

            "So?"

            "So nothing. You are just here so that you can protect the vice-foreign minister. There have been attempts to abduct her and two others people from the university have already gone missing."

            "What has that got to do with me? You don't need me with the others here."

            "True, but we work better if we all are together. The others still don't know about this, except for Duo."

            "Again, what has that got to do with me."

            "All of the abducted people were war orphans. We still don't know where they went or who took them. People who know them say they have no reason to just go wandering off and not come back."

            "Sounds serious."

            "It is serious. I'll be talking to the others soon."

            "Something you are not telling me."

            "Yes, you'll find it out by yourself soon. Noin is waiting."

            "I thought it would be Peacecraft now," Wufei said, amused.

            "It is. Its Lucrezia Noin Peacecraft," Came Noin's voice from behind him.

            "Long time no see, Wufei. You haven't changed"

            "Same goes for you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "I think that new professor that you met was an old friend," Duo said.

            "Hmm?" Jade said. She was looking around the cafeteria.

            "Looking for me?" Trowa said from behind her.

            "No actually. I was trying to find Heero."

            "He'll be here, He thought he saw someone on the grounds with Zechs."

            "Yeah, must have been Wufei." Duo said.

            "A new Professor," Jade told him.

            "Professor Who?!" Dorothy asked appearing out of nowhere. 

            "Professor Chang Wufei?" Jade supplied.

            "Mr. Katana Up his ass? A professor?" she exclaimed and burst out laughing.

            "Dorothy, you do know that he was a scholar before he became a soldier," said Quatre, trying hard to control his surprise.

(A/N: Don't you find it funny. People appearing out of thin air? I do^_^)

            "Wufei's here." Came Heero's monotone.

            "We know that." Came the collective answer.

            "News travels fast and I have a feeling he is here for a reason."

            "He's supposed to be a new professor, right?" Dorothy said.

            "He was a Preventor and as far as I know, he hasn't resigned."

            "Noin and Zechs are Preventors too." Duo said.

            "I have a feeling, there is much more here than meets the eye."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Zechs called. He wants to meet us," Duo told Heero who was typing away at his laptop as usual.

            "I heard. Where?"

            "Heero asks where?" he said to someone on the vid screen. That someone had to be Zechs.

            "How 'bout here?" He told Zechs.

            "Fine. Make sure there's plenty of space and no eavesdroppers," Zechs said.

            "Do you want me to call the others, too? Or just me and Heero."

            "Everyone." 

            "Okay. I'll call the others."

            "Call Dorothy, too."

            "Okay. I'll call her too. But listen, if I call her, Hilde is going to come too."

            "Who is she?"

            "My girlfriend, Her roommate and an ex-soldier too."

            "Fine, so long as she can keep her mouth shut."

            "Tell him we are meeting at Trowa's." Heero called from his room.

            "Heero says."

            "I heard. So that other girl will be there too?"

            "Yes." Heero said coming up behind Duo.

            "You can stop worrying about her."

            "I'm not worried about her." he said with a serious face.

            "Is Relena coming?" Duo asked.

            "No. She is better off not knowing about it."

            "Wufei coming?"

            "Yes. Will meet you in another hour. Be there."

            "Okay, it's been two in one week?"

            "Yes. We'll talk about it later." 

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

A/N: What do we have here? A plot? Maybe. Continue reading to find out.

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

            "Trowa, the company's coming."

            "Who?"

            "Everyone."

            "Okay. When?"

            "Like about right now."

            "Thanks for the warning, Duo," He said moving out of the doorway, to let Duo in.

            "No Problem."

            "Where's Heero?"

            "He's coming. Where's Jade?"

            "In the bathroom. Taking a shower."

            "Keep the door open, everyone is coming."

            "Including the girls."

            "Everyone except Relena."

            A knock on the door distracted them from the conversation.

            "Come in it's open."

            The door opened and Dorothy and Hilde walked in. Soon after the two, Noin and Zechs walked in.

            "Where's Wufei?" Duo asked.

            "He decided to drop in at Heero's first. The two should be coming shortly."

            Just then, Jade emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed in her PJ's, with a towel around her wet hair.

            "Hey! No one said there was going to be company?!" she said cheerfully, though her eyes were trained accusingly on Trowa.

            "I never knew till a few minutes ago. It's his fault," Trowa said in his usual emotionless manner.

            "This is a meeting, you can stay if you want," Zechs informed her.

            "Don't worry about me. I'll take a walk around the grounds. The food is in the kitchen, help yourselves," and with that she disappeared into her room.

            "She came out of the bathroom, fully dressed?" Duo and Noin asked at the same time.

            "Yeah, She does that everytime."

" I bet its cuz she is living with a stranger." Hilde said.

            "Extraordinary."

            She came out of her room a few minutes later. Her hair was semi-dry and you could see the curls and waves in her long hair. She was wearing an extra large sweatshirt. And black sweat pants. 

            "I have my cell, call me when you are done."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "So what are we here for again?" Dorothy asked

            "Lots of things have been happening lately. There have been attempts to abduct Relena. Two students have gone missing in the past one week."

            Almost everybody present gave a silent 'Oh', except for Wufei, Heero and Trowa.

            "When were these attempts made?" Heero asked.

            "Just recently," Noin said.

            "Have you tried to find out who the culprit is?"

            "Yes. But we have had no success till now."

            "What about the missing people?" Heero asked again.

            "Both the victims were female. Both of them were war orphans, about the same age as you guys too" Noin said.

            "Anything else?" Heero asked.

            "Something tells me that the attempts to kidnap Relena and the missing girls are connected. Probably it's the same person? I have a feeling that we might not see those girls again," Quatre said.

            "So what do you suggest we do?" Dorothy asked him

            "Nothing, we need to keep an eye out for this person and look out for Relena. It's better if she doesn't know about it."

            "How many people know about all this?" Trowa spoke for the first time.

            "Not many. We never really took it that seriously since these people could have gone off their own accord. But now, since they have been missing for so long and no one has been contacted, we suspect that they were kidnapped too. We don't know if the two incidents are separate or connected yet.  The Preventors are currently looking into the case."

            "It's all so confusing. Why the hell does it have to be this way?" Hilde questioned.

            "This is life and life is not simple. All we can do now is be careful," Duo said giving her a hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Jade was walking along the grounds all by herself. There was a cool breeze blowing. She was just randomly walking, thinking about what the meeting would have been about.

(A/N: everything said here will be in her head.)

            'Something doesn't feel right. Whatever they are talking about is pretty serious. I could tell. Both Noin and Zechs looked rather worn out.

            What is Professor Chang doing here if he is still with the Preventors?

            It is kinda weird that all the Gundam pilots should be at this place at one time. The last time that they were together, we had the wars going on. I wonder what is going to happen this time

            I have a feeling that it has something to do with.'

All of a sudden she stopped. She knew this feeling well. Someone was watching her, from somewhere and it was giving her the creeps.

            "Who's there?" she called and started walking towards the bushes. That was the only logical place that someone would be hiding. She was almost there when she stopped again. The feeling had intensified. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing now. It was as though, that somebody had now moved behind her. She turned abruptly, her eyes burning. Nothing there. No one. She started walking towards the clump of trees. 

            "Who's there?" she called again.

            There was no answer. She decided to fine tune her emphatic abilities to try and feel what that someone was feeling. What she felt sent a jolt through her body. The feeling was dark and almost seemed to sap her strength. Her head snapped up. She started walking towards the trees again and then she heard a faint laughter. Laughter that she thought she had heard somewhere before but couldn't be sure and a voice in a whisper, "So flighty, so beautiful." 

            She tensed at these words. She did not want to hear those words. 

"Not again," she said in a whisper that even she barely heard.

And there was that laughter again. She went towards it, nearer to the trees. She wouldn't give up this time. She was strong. She heard some rustling and then the feeling was gone.

Whoever it was probably ran away. And she thought she knew who that 'whoever' was and she was not happy about that.

She debated for a minute whether to follow the person or not. She was almost going to enter the woods when she happened to glance at the moon.

            She stopped midway and just looked at the moon. It was full and it was red. It was as if it were surrounded by a bloody mist.

            "The times are not good." She muttered to herself. She was brought back to reality when her cell phone started ringing. She looked at the number and terminated the call. They were done with their meeting. It was time for her to go back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**_Author's Note:_** **well, well, well, Done at last. I know I haven't been updating for the longest and I am sorry for that. I apologise. This chapter is very different from the others and please tell me if you like it or not. The next chapters will be built on this and the earlier chapters. Thought it sounds serious, there is still going to be some humour in the coming chapters. As far as I know there will be about another 10 chapters or so before the fic ends. I have two endings for the fic. One is happy, the other is sad. You people get to choose. Majority wins^_^. So please review.**

**I thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter and e-mailed me. **


	18. hmmmmm

**A Shot at Normalcy: University Life**

Disclaimer: - How many times exactly do u need me to say that I do not own Gundam Wing?

For everyone who is still keeping up with this fic of mine:

Sorry for the extreme delay in updating. I have been extremely busy and I did not receive very many reviews for the last chapter. No reviews, no encouragement, no quick chapters. Anyhow…Since no one seems interested in this story of mine. I have decided to update it as and when I like it ^__^****

**                                                   Chapter 18:  Hmmmm…..**

            "So what did you people talk about?"

            "You should have waited if you wanted to know so bad."

            "Hey! Cool it. I was just curious."

            "I know.... we…"

            "You people didn't eat. Never mind. Breakfast is taken care of."

            She closed the fridge door and stood by the kitchen window. Just looking out at the grounds; looking at the place where she had been standing a while ago.

            Trowa watched her from the kitchen door. She seemed a bit distressed since she came back. She hadn't noticed that he wanted to say something, but had gone on talking all by herself and was all quiet like alone. She seemed preoccupied. Something was bothering her.

            He walked up behind her. She barely reached up to his chin. He put a hand on her shoulder and it startled her. Hmmm. That was new. Very few things startled her.

            "You scared me there," she said in a breathy whisper that sent pleasant shivers up his spine and resumed her prior position.

            "What's bothering you?" he asked her in a low voice.

            "Long story…really long story."

            "I have the night to spare."

            "Sometime later. Don't feel like it." And then she turned and leaned against the counter and put her hand on his shoulder and asked him, "Soooo…what did you talk about?"

            He was momentarily stunned by her actions. She was so close and her lips were moving. She was saying something and she was moving closer. He was frozen to the spot. She was hugging him. And she whispered something in his ear, slid out from between the counter and him and went to her room. He just watched her in a dazed state. She had never acted like that before. Not that he minded.

            He followed her into her room.

            "You were saying something."

            "Yes…I was asking you when you were going to tell me what you people talked about. But you were too preoccupied." She said it with extra stress on the word "preoccupied".

            "We talked about the kidnappings. Girls that have gone missing. Be careful." And with that he walked back out.

            She followed him back out. The look on her face darkening. 

            "Since when?"

            "Past week. Both of them new."

            She abruptly sat down on the couch, a look of horror on her face. Trowa immediately went to her and knelt down beside her. Very few things shook her up like that.

            "Are you okay?" He asked her. 'There is something here that she is not telling me,' he thought.

            She was still trembling. He put his hands on her knees and she jumped, for the second time that day. She looked at him and hugged him as though her life depended on it. This time he hugged back and tried comforting her. It was hard for him, him being the apathetic person that he was. She still had him in the hug when she whispered in his ear. This time he heard what she said.

            "Those girls…they are not coming back…I'm so sorry."

            "How do you know?" he asked her after pulling back from the death hug that she had him in. Now he was sure that she was definitely not telling him the whole story.

            "How do you know?" he asked her again.

            "I have this feeling…I just know," she told him.

            'I might also know who the kidnapper might be…I thought you had left me forever…why did you come back…why?' she thought.

_________

__________________

_________

            "So are you going to follow me all day?"

            "No. Just between classes."

            "I can take care of myself, Heero."

            "This attitude makes it easier for the kidnapper."

            "Nothing is going to happen to me. I am with so many other people."

            "The other girls were not alone either."

            "Do you ever listen?!?" Relena said in an exasperated tone.

            "Hn."

            "Now what did I do?" She asked again. When Heero slipped back into his old habit of not using words to answer meant that she had done something wrong or something along those lines.

            "Nothing."

            "Good."

            'I don't think I will ever understand the ladies,' he thought.

            They walked in silence; Relena refusing to speak with him and Heero following nevertheless. It was Relena who broke the silence.

            "You can go now. It is just at the end of the corridor."

            He remained where he was and answer in a monotone.

            "I know"

            He was still standing there.

            She looked at him for a while and then told him again.

            "If you know, then go. Leave me alone."

            "Okay."

            He seemed hurt.

            "O Heero! I did not mean it to be so harsh. It's just…"

            "Just what?"

            "It's just that I want to be independent.  I can take care of myself. Trust me. Try to understand. Please?"

            "No."

            "Why are you so stubborn?" and she stomped off. He just watched her till she entered the classroom, but he did not follow her.

            Relena smiled when she entered the classroom. He hadn't followed her. Even when he said "no". 

__________

____________________

__________

            "You seem unusually quiet today," Quatre said to Trowa.

            "Just thinking."

            "About what?"

            "Jade."

            "What happened now?"

            "She knows something."

"About what?"

"About those kidnappings, " he said as though it was obvious.

"So…?"

"She won't tell what."

"Oh…" He said as though it all made sense now.

Trowa just looked at him with ice cold eyes.

Quatre just smiled back.

"You should try some pick up lines buddy." Chimed in a voice from behind. We all know who that is.. ^_^

"Huh?"

"We all know you like her, maybe even love her."

"Yeah and your point being…?"

"Go propose dumb idiot…use some of the pickup lines that you know."

"…."

"….umm Duo. It's Trowa we are talking about," Quatre whispered to Duo.

"Oh don't worry!" and then he turned to Trowa, "I'll coach you."

(A/N: *Shudders at the thought of Duo coaching Trowa on how to pick up girls*)

            Trowa just stared at him with a blank expression. 

            "Stand up"

            Trowa stood up and Quatre stepped back to watch the drama unfold in front of him.

            "Okay! Now think of me as Jade…" Duo said to Trowa and turned his back towards him.

            Trowa just stood there with a blank face.

            "Common, get me to go out with you. Tell me how much you love me…"

            "But I don't love you," Trowa said in the same blank manner.

            'Man, he sure can be dumb sometimes,' Quatre thought.

            "OohKay~~~", said Duo as he turned around, his braid whipping around.

            "Let's just say…I'm you and you are Jade."

            Duo started walking towards Trowa and Trowa started backing off.

            "…Duo? Are you gay?"  

            Duo, Trowa and Quatre, all three of them sweat dropped and turned to see Jade standing there.

            "Hehehe…Not really, No." Duo said, still sweat dropping.

            "Then why did it look like you were hitting on Trowa?" she asked, still confused.

Duo looked visibly disturbed while Trowa was smiling and Quatre could barely contain his laughter.

"That's a story for another time, Jade. Let's go Duo," said Quatre in between laughs, coming to Duo's rescue.

Duo was more than happy to leave.

"Yeah...Care to tell me what was going on there?"

"No…Not really." Trowa said looking at her. She was looking at the retreating figures of Duo and Quatre.

"Fine then," she said with a pout.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" She asked surprised. As far as she knew, she hadn't done anything.

"Don't pout like that."

"Why?" She asked defiantly, pouting again, this time with her arms crossed.

"You don't want to know…" She really didn't want to know.

She watched him walk away from her.

'Idiot…Do you think, I have no clue as to how you are feeling?' she thought before following him

"Okay, I won't do it. I actually came to talk to you."

"Yes?"

"You seemed pissed this morning…why?"

"Because of you."

"Because of me?"

"You know something about those two girls that you are not telling me." He said, all business now.

"Yes, I do…I think…I am not sure…I cannot tell you anything until I'm sure."

"Can you not tell me anything?" He asked, his eyes all mellow.

"No, please…I'm sorry," Her voice only a whisper now. Whatever it was seemed to be causing her pain. He put an arm around her shoulders and bent down to whisper in her ear.

"You can tell me when you are ready. I need to know."

"I know you do…but…"

"Trowa, you need to see this."

Trowa and Jade both looked up to see Heero standing in front of them.

"You can come too, Jade."

"You had better come, Jade." Trowa said.

Heero just raised a questioning eyebrow at Trowa.

"She knows something we don't."

"oh!"

"Don't even ask her. she won't tell."

"Don't talk about me as if I am not here." Jade said from behind them, annoyance evident in her voice.

Both Trowa and Heero sweat dropped.

_____________

___________________

_____________

            "They found one of the missing girls," Heero told Trowa.

            "Dead or alive?"

            "Barely alive. She seems traumatised."

            "Did they identify her?"

            "Yes, they identified her as Middi Une."

            'Middi Une…'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Bleh! Hopefully  the next chapter will be up soon. Just trying to sort out my ideas here. I have too many of them. It's kinda hard to figure out what comes after what. And thanks to whoever who reviewed. ^__^


	19. secrets revealed

**A Shot at Normalcy: University Life**

Disclaimer: - How many times exactly do u need me to say that I do not own Gundam Wing?

For everyone who is still keeping up with this fic of mine:

           Thank you. Thank you…for all who reviewed. It helped me greatly and this is the chapter and I mean *the* chapter. All your questions will be answered (or atleast most of them). So keep reading and yeah you can curse too if you like. Thanks again to all those who reviewed. It helped me a lot ^_^ 

          Btw…this fic might contain limey stuff in the future but no lemons. So don't even bother asking.

Warning: I've made references to the "F" word and aggravated sexual assault in this chapter.

****

**Chapter 19:  Revealed Secrets**

**Last chappie:**

            _"They found one of the missing girls," Heero told Trowa._

_            "Dead or alive?"_

_            "Barely alive. She seems traumatised."_

_            "Did they identify her?"_

_            "Yes, they identified her as Middi Une."_

_            'Middi Une…'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            'Middi Une…She was here…and she was kidnapped?'

            A part of him didn't want to believe what he heard while the other part of him wanted to see her badly. They had not parted on friendly terms. He was not even sure if she would remember him or not. He followed Heero to the Hospital building.

Jade followed them too. She too had a frown etched on her face. They entered the room in which Middi was kept. She was sleeping or so it seemed.

            Heero conversed with the nurse in whispers. Trowa just stood there looking at Middi. Jade went and stood by the window. The blinds were closed. She parted them a bit so that she could see outside, but did not open them fully. She thought she saw something in the bushes and did a double take…nothing. She dismissed it as a figment of her imagination, but something kept telling her it was not. She stood there, looking at the spot for sometime and then decided to join Trowa. Heero was still talking with the nurse. 

            Jade walked towards the bed and looked down at the patient. Trowa was standing where he was and was looking down at Middi, the expression on his face never changing. She looked the same, the last time that he had seen her, for the most part, more womanly, a slightly longer face and longer hair, other than that, she still looked the same. It is a wonder how he could remember her after all these years. Had he ever really forgotten her in the first place? She was his first friend, a friend who betrayed him.

            Heero walked back to them. He put his hand on Trowa's shoulder. That brought him back to reality.

            "The nurse says she went to sleep just a while back. I gave her my contact number, she will call when Middi wakes up."

            Trowa just nodded and Jade said something that sounded like "okay"

            All three of them left. 

            "We have to be at the psychology lecture in about 15 minutes," Jade told Trowa. She could sense that he was troubled. He looked up at her and nodded his response. They walked in silence till they reached their classroom. Nothing said between the two. Each of them was thinking their own thoughts. When they reached the classroom, Quatre was already there.  

            "Zechs told me what happened," Quatre said to the two of them.

            "Yeah," was Jade's only reply, while Trowa said nothing, but went and sat down in his seat. His mind was still in turmoil. So was Jade's but she was thinking about something else.

             The lecture was pretty uneventful. Everyone did what they were supposed to do. The three of them left the classroom together. Each in their own thoughts. Quatre wanted to say something but decided it was best not to say it, as both Trowa and Jade were busy thinking something. Jade was just confused and slightly troubled, Trowa seemed…pained.

            "You have any more lectures that you have to attend?" Jade asked the two of them all of a sudden.

            "No"

            "No."

            "Okay, I have to go to the programming thing, so ciao," and she left. She wanted to meet Heero there. She wanted to know what exactly had happened. How and where did they find Middi? Most of all, how did they find her alive. Unless, she ran away…

            "Earth to Jade."

            "Hi, Duo. I'm thinking."

            "I heard."

            "Good for you."

            "How did you know?"

            "How do you think I knew?"

            "Heero…?"

            "Precisely, where is he now?"

            "Right behind you."

            "Oh…Heero…I wanted to talk to you," she said turning around.

            "I know…I just got a call…we can go after we get out."

            "Oh!"

            "Mind telling me what is going on?"

            "Can you stop being such an irritating pain in the ass, Duo?" Jade snapped.

            "I am not being a pain in the ass. I should know as much as you what is going on," he yelled back. " As a matter of fact," he continued, "I deserve to know more than you. You are just another commoner, you shouldn't even be involved."

            "I see," was her only reply. She said nothing else. She was completely calm. No one would have guessed that she was boiling inside. The only thing that indicated her true emotions, were her eyes. Her gaze, more penetrating than ever; hard as steel. Duo looked away.

            "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that," he whispered.

            "It's okay," she said, "It is probably my fault. I shouldn't have called you a pain in the ass."

            "You are still pissed," he said, looking at her again.

            "Yes…I am," she said in the same calm voice.

            "I'm sorry," he said again.

            "You already said that," she replied.

            "I know…but…"

            She just looked at him straight in the eye and he shut up. He could take Heero's death glare. But he couldn't take Jade's. Maybe because it was he had never been subjected to it before or maybe it was because she kept such a cool exterior while she was ready to kill. He didn't know what…but it bothered him. 

_______________

__________________________

_______________

            Trowa headed towards the hospital building. Heero had called him. He was going to meet up with Heero, Jade and Duo at the hospital. Quatre was with him.

            "Trowa, you need to calm down," Quatre told him.

            Trowa didn't reply. He just kept walking straight ahead.

            They reached the building. The other three were already there. Wufei couldn't be there because he had to teach. Scholars with broadswords (A/N: before you say he uses a katana, read the A/N at the bottom of the page for explanation.) and Gundams, teaching students at a university…bizarre.

            They all walked up to her room together. Everyone was silent.

            When they entered her room, her eyes were closed. She opened them the moment, Trowa went and stood by her bed. She was scared for her life and started moving away from him to the other end of the bed. He just stood there and watched her look at him with fear in her eyes. She wasn't like this the last time he knew. Something must have shaken her up pretty bad if she was scared of anyone. He watched as Jade went to the other side of the bed and sat down on the side. He watched as she caught Middi before she could fall. He watched as she looked at Jade with fear and confusion in her eyes.

            "It's okay Middi…You are safe now," Jade said in a soothing voice.

            Middi at once hugged her and broke down on her shoulder. She started crying and she was trying to say something but it was all drowned by her sobs.

            "She didn't cry the last time she woke up…just stared straight ahead. She didn't even speak anything," the nurse told Heero. 

            "Shh…it's all okay now…you are safe here Middi. It's okay to cry," Jade said trying to soothe her while patting Middi's back to calm her down as she would to a baby or a young child.

            "He…*sobs*…said…he *hic* *sniff*…was going to….*sobs**sobs*…kill me…*sobs*…he…raped me…*sobs*…he said…*sobs* *sobs*…he would…*sniffs*…fuck…us…till…*hic*…we…died…*sobs**hic*…till…he…got*sniffs**sobs*…her." and she broke down again.

            Jade tensed at her words as did everyone else in the room.

            "Shh...You don't have to talk about it now…" she told her

            "Who is this "her"? Where is the other girl?" Heero asked.

            "Heero this is not the time to ask her this," Quatre said. "She is highly disturbed and traumatised. We need to give her some time."

            'You still haven't changed…why are you back? Why are you torturing these poor girls?' Jade thought to herself.

            Trowa went and sat down by Middi. She moved away from him; afraid of him.

            "I am not him Middi," he said with tenderness that even he didn't know he possessed. "I'm Trowa, don't you remember me?" he asked in a whisper.

            The name seemed to remind her of something. She looked up from Jade's shoulder and looked at him. She reached out timidly and touched his bangs

            "Trowa…" she whispered and then latched on to him.

            "*sobs* keep him away from me…*hic*…He is a ….*sobs*…monster…*sobs*"

            "Shh… You are safe now," he said to her. "How did you get away?"

            She just cried.

            "Trowa, this is not the right time to ask her these questions." Jade said, with her hand on his shoulder. She then turned to Jade. "You should sleep now. You are safe here…he will not come here." 

            Middi allowed herself to be guided to bed by Jade.

            "He…said…he would…come for her," she said before she drifted off to sleep.

            Jade did not doubt her words for a minute.

            "Great!" Duo mock exclaimed. "Now we have another mystery person."

            Quatre looked at Jade. Maybe the other person wasn't as mysterious as they thought. 

________________

_____________________

________________

_Later that night at Trowa's and Jade's apartment:_

              
  


            Jade was standing by the window and Trowa was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch.

            "You know her?" Jade asked Trowa.

            "Yes." He said, his eyes closed

            "How do you know her? From where?" Jade asked him. She had to know how he knew her. Middi was someone who had managed to escape from "him". 

            He looked up at her, she was looking at him.

"How do you know him?" He asked her, His gaze matching hers.

            "Know whom?" She asked him.

            "You know very well who I am talking about," Trowa said without emotion.

            "How do you know that I know him?" Jade challenged him.

            "Lots of reasons."

            "State some." She said moving away from the window towards her room.

            Trowa got up and followed her. She had started the questioning and he did not want to let go of this opportunity to grill her. She had now closed the door.

            He waited for a while before barging in. She had changed into her pyjama bottoms. He entered before she could change her shirt.

            "Get out," She told him, half shocked at his brashness.

            He just ignored her and continued talking.

            "You were scared shitless when you heard about the kidnappings."

            "Anybody would be. Do you mind leaving for a bit?"

            "I do mind leaving and I won't look," He said.

            She decided to take his word for it. He leaned back against the wall while she took out a tank top from her closet and removed her shirt. He was looking at her through half-closed lids. She was exquisite. Perfect hourglass.

            "You said the girls weren't going to return. You knew." He said, still observing her motions like a stealthy wild cat waiting to strike.

            She seemed oblivious to the scrutiny. If she did, she showed no sign of it.

            "I had a feeling. Next."

            "You seemed very sure. And you were surprised when they found Middi."

            "Ok. Next and stop staring."

            "You don't mind…so why should I?" the answer to his question was a glare.

            She put on her shirt and now he was watching her without making any attempt to hide it. "You were scared and shocked when she said he would come back."

            This startled her. She was undoing her braid on her bed. She stood up and walked back out into the hall. He followed her.

            "So you noticed?"

            "Yes. Quatre noticed too."

            "Great!"

            "So how do you know him? Who is he?" Trowa asked her again.

            "I'll tell you, but first, you have to tell me how you know Middi," she said decisively.

            "Fine, but it's a long story."

            "Fair give and take, mister."

            She went and sat down on the couch. He went and stood by the window. 

            "You can call us old acquaintances…old friends."

            "How do you know her?" Jade asked.

            "Long story short…I saved her, we became good friends as kids. She betrayed my trust."

            "Why did you save her?"

            "She asked me the same thing," he said with a hint of a smile.

            "We were the same. We lost our families in the war. Or atleast I thought so…"

            "What do you mean?"

            "Catherine is my real sister. And Middi had a father and three brothers. She betrayed me for their sake."

            "…"

            "The resistance lost because of her…I was the only one who survived."

(A/N: The flashback is a spoiler…and the whole thing is taken from . do not gimme credit)

~*~Flashback~*~

Captain: What?! They knew! That can't be!!  
Trowa: Let's withdraw, Captain!!  
Captain: You withdraw. I'll stop them here as best I can.  
Trowa: But...  
Captain: Follow your orders!  
Trowa: ...Acknowledged.

~~~~`

Soldier: Sorry, Captain. We have our livelihood to think of.   
Captain: You bastards... Idiots! What are you apologizing to your enemy for?  
Soldier: Our contract is to kill all resistance fighters. Get ready!  
Captain: Too bad you won't be able to fulfill your end of the contract. _*Spewing ammunition at them. Then his gun stops firing.*_  
Soldier: I told you! You can't rely on those pathetic weapons the resistance loans you.  
Captain: Shut up! Kill me and get it over with!!  
_*Trowa's __Mobile__ Suit charges in, gun blasting. The mercenaries' __Mobile__ Suits are blown away.*_  
Trowa: Come on, Captain, let's withdraw together.  
Captain: ...They were the ones who raised you.  
Trowa: But they betrayed us.  
Captain: ...Are you thinking that they sold information?  
Trowa: Didn't they?  
Captain: Fool! They wouldn't do that!  
Trowa: I have no regrets. I kill the enemy I see before me. I'm only practicing what they taught me.  
Captain: You're... not human, are you.  
Trowa: No, I'm not. I've always been a soldier.  
The rebel army's surprise attack that had promised great results, ended in failure.  
_*Middi is serving food back at the snowy base. She ladles some out for Trowa.*_  
Middi: No-name, can't you look sad? You killed the men who used to be your comrades, didn't you?  
Trowa: I used up all my sadness when I was a baby.  
Middi: And you're going to keep on acting like this, killing your own heart, aren't you?  
Trowa: _*Looking at the gizmo around her neck. Thinking:* It's that, is it...?_  
Middi: How long do you plan to wear that mask that never cries?  
Trowa: For as long as I manage to live...  
Middi: _*Watching him go and gripping her electronic gizmo.*  
*Planes drop bombs and wreak carnage.*_  
It was a huge scale operation to devastate the rebel forces.  
_*A soldier shields his face from a blast. Middi screams.*_  
Trowa: Grab my hand, Middi!  
_*She reaches up to him, and they speed away on a motorcycle.*_  
Middi: I'm not going to thank you!  
Trowa: Don't worry; I'm not expecting you to.  
Middi: I... I have no right to live...  
Trowa: ... _*driving through the explosions.*_ neither do I.  
_*Enemy __Mobile__ Suits are flying in.*_  
Captain: Don't retreat! Do whatever it takes to crush them! 

~~~`

The captain was dead.

Trowa: _*Looking over at Middi.*_ How much did you get?  
Middi: _*Looking sullen and holding her electronic gizmo.*_ Enough so that my three little brothers and my sick father will be able to eat for a while.  
Trowa: That game around your neck is a transmitter, isn't it...? The Federation could hear every move we made.  
Middi: That's right... But you're still alive. You're the only one.  
Trowa: _*Yanking off the cross necklace and throwing it on the ground.*_ Because of this?   
Middi: I'll tell you. That cross is also a transmitter.  
Trowa: _*Pulling a gun on her.*_  
Middi: Even you can get angry, hm? No-name...  
Middi: You once said that I was you. But really I'm completely different. I'm not happy like you.  
Trowa: You're saying I'm happy?  
Middi: _*Taking the gizmo off.*_ You have freedom. You're lots happier than me.

Middi: You have nothing that can be taken away from you. No name, no past, right now, not even companions.  
Middi: I have the name Middi Une. I have a sick father and three little brothers.

Middi: Because of that, I had to become a spy and cause the deaths of lots of people.  
Middi: I can't even say "I love you" to the person I love! Do you understand why?!  
Trowa: .....  
Middi: Because I'm not empty like you! I have too much! Family! A home! The knowledge of what bad things I've done!        

Middi: That's why I hate empty people like you!  
Trowa: Is that all you've got to say?  
Middi: ...?!  
Trowa: You're better off than me. You have somewhere to go home to.  
Trowa: Goodbye, Middi.  
Middi: Wait... Wait, No-name!

And he just walked away….

~*~End Flashback~*~

            He would never forget that incident.

            "Oh!"  

            "She betrayed me, but still could not forget her…no matter how much I tried…she was always there at the back of my mind. She was the first friend I ever had."

            "Oh…I'm sorry."

            "You shouldn't be…What has happened has happened, there is nothing you or me can do about it. And it is your turn to tell me how you know him."

            "He is Trevor." She said calmly.

            "The one from the orphanage?" Trowa asked. She just nodded.

            "We were very close. And by very close, I mean very, very close. I looked up to him. He was like an older brother. Duo knows. You can ask him." She seemed lost in her thoughts. Thinking of old times. He wanted to ask her so many things, but he chose not to.

            "He always looked out for me. He is five years older to me. I was his, right since the time he took me under his wing. Right since the time I was a kid. He beat up Duo once. I and Duo had gotten into a fight and Trevor said he did not want me getting hurt." She gave a sad smile.

            "And then the whole church was destroyed when Duo had gone somewhere…he told me he went to steal the Gundam.

            "Trevor and I were out playing in the park with some other kids. We ran when we saw the mobile suits come and destroy the place. Trevor wouldn't let me go back and check on the others. I still feel bad.

            "we were just another street gang. And then we were taken in by another orphanage. I went to the school there. Trevor went to the school there too. And then the girls in the girls convent went missing. Girls my age. 

            "And when I told Trev about it, he just laughed. A maniacal laugh. It scared me.

            "The next day he was gone…I was scared...It wasn't like him, but the day after he was back again.

            "He hated it when I talked to boys, he would get angry. I was told again and again that I was his and that he would kill anyone who looked at me even."

            Jade seemed to be telling her story from an outsider's view. She was lost in her own thoughts. She walked to the TV rack and just stood there handling the little show-pieces that she had kept there. It was as though she was debating whether to proceed further or not. She made up her mind. Even though it was highly disturbing for her…she would proceed. A deal was a deal. She had already told him so much, why not finish the story? She started again.

            "And then one day, about four years ago, while the war was still going on, Trev came to me in the middle of the night and he said he wanted me to go somewhere with him." She shuddered. It was as though she was reliving the whole thing again. Trowa just watched her, feeling half-guilty about making her go through this 

            "I followed him, I had no other choice…he took me to this place, all torn and broken down and then he forced…forced me." A tear slipped down her cheek.

            "He stole my first kiss and he told me, that he was waiting for the day I would turn into a big girl…and I was only fourteen." Another tear slipped out from beneath her eyelashes. Trowa was shocked…He made an attempt to stop her, but she continued.

            "He forced himself on me, he took my virginity," she was crying now. Full-blown crying. Trowa went up to her and stood by her. She just backed away.

            "I'm so sorry…"

            "He did it ever day…I was told again and again I was just his and that he owned me…" it looked like she could not see what was in front of her, she just lived the whole thing over again.   

            "Jade…" Trowa said trying to reach out to her. She just kept backing off, scared of him. He knew why she was scared and he felt bad. It was partly because of him.

            "Go away…stay away from me…he said I could never escape from him, that he had me for himself…"

            "Jade…stop…it's just me…"

            She ignored him.

            "But I ran away…but he always found me, and I always ran…I was devastated by two wars…not just one"

            "Jade…you don't have to…stop crying…please"

            She had backed herself into a corner 

            "One outside…one inside and now he's back…he's back for me…he's obsessed with me." Her whole body was wracked with sobs and the tears were flowing freely. 

            She did not notice as Trowa came to her and put his arms around her. He enveloped her in a hug and turned her around so that she was facing him. She immediately buried her head in his chest. She was still crying.

            "Keep…him away from me…"

            "Shh…It's okay now," Trowa said trying to comfort her though he knew that everything was far from okay. She was still sobbing and now he felt miserable for making her go through this. He bent his head to kiss her on the top of her head in order to comfort her. At the same moment she raised her head to look at him and their lips brushed. She was startled. He did not debate with himself this time. He captured her lips in a real kiss. She resisted. She was pushing him away for all that she was worth, but Trowa only held her tighter. She cried and he only kissed her harder, putting all his feelings for her in that single kiss. He could taste the salt on her lips. She gave in after a while and kissed him back. The intensity of her kiss itself surprised him.  She totally opened up to him.

            After a while, they broke up for air. She had stopped crying, but she was still sobbing. Her eyes, they were windows to her soul and he was drowning in their depths. She looked so vulnerable and everything in him was screaming for him to take her, but he decided against it.

            "I'm sorry…" he said and kissed her again. 

            After they broke up again she asked him," What are you sorry for?"

            He himself wasn't sure what he was sorry for. Was he sorry because he kissed her without permission or was he sorry because he had put her through all that? He didn't know. Probably, for both the reasons.

            "Sorry, for everything…"He said resting his chin on her head. She was now sitting in his lap, and he still had his arms around her.

            "I'm scared."

            "I can understand." He said burying his face in her curls at the nape of her neck.

            "That is the only thing that still scares me. He said he would come back…" she said, a shiver running down her spine. She shuddered.

            Trowa felt her shiver and that sent shivers down his spine, but not the scary sort. "I'll never let him get you."

            She turned and faced him…their faces just centimetres apart.

            "Thank you…" She whispered and then she did a thing that he would not have expected her to do, she kissed him. He was shocked but the shock soon turned to bliss. He kissed her back. He ran his tongue over her lips and she moaned. That gave him a chance to slip his tongue into her mouth. She tasted … unique… intoxicating. He could get used to kissing her like that. They broke apart after what seemed like an eternity.

            She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. He buried his face in her hair again and thought

            "I will not let him get you. Never, ever…you belong to me."

            They slept like that.

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A/N: *Phew* long chapter. I haven't written such a long chapter in ages. I know this chappie was a bit grim…a lot grim actually compared to the other ones, but hopefully it is the grimmest chapter. I dunno. I hope you people liked this chapter. And I thank all you people who reviewed. And feel free to give in your ideas.

Oh! And by the way…I will not be continuing this fic…until summer. ^__^

            Sorry, but I just have way too much stuff to do and I find it hard to come up with ideas for this fic when my life is breaking apart. I need to sort out ma life. So ttfn. Love u all.


	20. Locked in the Past

**A Shot at Normalcy: University Life**

Disclaimer: - How many times exactly do u need me to say that I do not own Gundam Wing?

I LIVEEEE again! Yeah. I'm alive…life still a bit of a mess, but exams and school out of the way. Yay! So I can write again. I'm still trying to find a job and I hope I find one soon.

For everyone who is still keeping up with this fic of mine:

Gwaiiii! Its chapter 20! Yay! It will end soon..i dunno how many more chapters, but the end is in sight.

This chapter kinda continues from where the last one left off…

And thankyou for being patient and thank you for all the reviews

Oh-oh-oh-oh…and before you start reading, lemme warn you that the writing style is a bit different from the past chapters. So go ahead and enjoy. The chapter has been beta-ed by "kittensroni" my new beta for my old one is dead.

**Chapter 20: The Locked in the Past**

Jade woke up to a warm feeling. There was something warm against her. She instinctively tried to get up to check what it was and felt an arm around her waist tighten. She opened her eyes, only to come face to face with a well-built chest covered by a thin white T-shirt. Suddenly, all the events of the previous night came flooding back. He had kissed her. He had kissed her and she had kissed him back. She had kissed him.

'Why did I do that? Why did I kiss him? Why him? He doesn't feel for me, but why?' she kept thinking, but the look in his eyes when he tried to comfort her last night told her otherwise.

'He loves Middi,' she thought

'But then what of the feelings that you were getting from him all this while, before she showed up?' said a little voice in the back of her head

'Right now, what happened last night is the least of my worries.'

'Is it now?' said the little voice inside her head. 'You know that you love him and he loves you, whether you like it or not.'

'So?'

'Jade, you foolish girl, do you not see what you have in front of you?' said the little voice in her head again.

'I don't have anything. I never have. Let me be happy while I can.'

With a slight smirk, she turned around in Trowa's embrace, which had now loosened a bit. While she was turning, her shirt hitched up a bit, revealing part of her belly.

Trowa had woken up the moment she tried to get up and tightened his grip around her waist. He did not want her to leave. It was so comfy with her there in his arms. He watched the various expressions flit across her normally placid face and then with a little smile she turned around, he noticed how her shirt hitched up. He could not resist touching the patch of the golden skin that was exposed, and before he could stop himself, his was now on her skin.

The hand on her waist had now shifted. It was on bare skin now. She felt her breath catch in her throat. That hand, his hand, was now moving up under her shirt. She was frozen. Locked in the past. It was **his** hand that was under her shirt. That hand was now moving up and down her abdomen in slow, languid motions. She knew that they were not **his** hands. **His** hands had never been gentle, but she was locked in the past. She knew they were not **his** hands but she was scared. Memories came flooding back, immobilizing her. Memories so strong, she forgot where she was. They were **his** hands again. That hand was now making patterns on her stomach, slowing going upwards. She felt another hand move her curls away from her neck, and heard someone whisper

"Sleep well, beautiful?"

Those words! Same words. Those same whispered words, that same question again. She was scared stiff. Fear showed in her eyes, it was etched on her face. She could do nothing. Those words…

She felt a warm mouth descend on the nape of her neck. Someone was trailing kisses down her neck, licking it, sucking on her neck. Open-mouthed kisses, up and down her neck. She felt her eyes tear up. A hand running up and down her left shoulder, the spaghetti strap and the bra strap being moved out of the way. She was scared. She could do nothing. **He** was going to force himself on her again.

That question again.

"Sleep well?"

The tears started flowing.

"Sleep well, beautiful?" he asked her

Trowa thought she nodded, but he couldn't be sure. He moved away her hair with his other hand, his left hand still on her abdomen. He knew she was awake. She hadn't said anything that he had done so far. He needed to make her speak. He kissed her neck once. He had kissed her last night, she didn't mind then. He started trailing kisses up and down the side of her neck and he found one spot interesting enough to give it personal attention for a while. His hand was now moving up and down her shoulder.

The skin felt so smooth, so soft, but then there were these bumpy things in the way. He moved them out of the way. All the while his eyes were closed. She sure was intoxicating. Her scent was intoxicating, her taste was intoxicating. She was a mystery that he wished to unravel.

"Sleep well?" he asked again in a whisper after a while.

Nothing. No reaction.

Something was not right. She had to either respond to his ministrations or slap him for being so bold. But there was no reaction from her. She was as she had been since he first started. He turned her so that she was looking up at the ceiling. Was she crying?

He was now on top of her, straddling her. Yes, she was crying? But why?

He eyes looked like there were staring off into space. In a trance, she wasn't here.

"Jade! Wake up," he said

"Jade, what's wrong?"

The tears continued to flow. The glassy look still there.

**He** was straddling her now. And she could see his insane grin, the animal lust in his eyes.

She then felt someone shake her, but all she could see was that insane gleam in **his** eyes.

"Jade wake up" she heard someone say, but the voice seemed far away.

"Jade, what's wrong?" she heard the voice ask again.

'Everything's wrong,' her mind screamed, but her voice was lost somewhere in this nightmare.

She felt someone shake her. She could not bear to see those eyes. She felt someone shake her again. She closed her eyes.

He shook her again and she closed her eyes…the tears still flowing.

"Jade, open your eyes, it's just me."

He shifted off her and pulled her into his lap. He held her there. He did not know what was wrong with her and it unnerved him to see this normally strong girl break into pieces. It unnerved him to see Jade, who was highly pragmatic, lose touch with reality. Whatever she experienced must've been really traumatic and it dawned on him that she did not tell him the whole story last night. She had been through much worse that what she revealed to him.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry," he heard her say.

Atleast now she was back into the present.

"What happened?" he asked her, soothing her at the same time. He was getting good at this comforting business.

"It was **him**," she said adjusting her bra and shirt straps. "He said the same words, and he would force himself on me again."

She seemed to be back in the real world now and it dawned on her what she had just said and to whom she had said those words.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to take care of me; you shouldn't have to hold me. I'm so sorry," she kept repeating again and again.

Trowa was silent. He now knew what she meant when she was referring to Trevor. It was most probably his fault. He knew it. Maybe he rushed things too much. She probably still suffered from the trauma. He should have known that. He had seen the way she reacted with news regarding Trevor's activities. How could have been so stupid.

"Shhh…its okay. He wasn't here. He was never here."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry".

What had happened to her hard earned control? Where did it go off? She thought she was over it, that she had dealt with her issues with Trevor. Apparently, she hadn't. And now he was back. She wanted to be able to deal with him the next time he came after her. She was tired of running. He was a snake, and he still managed to scare her. Why? She had broken down thrice so far, just because of him. And broken down in front of Trowa, too. Of all the people that she knew, why did it have to be Trowa? She needed to stop doing that. She would not break down. She would not be weak. She would not cry. She would not run away. She would not let herself be confined.

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A/N: phewall done. I hope you liked this chapter. And I just realised that there a little bit more than I thought there was before the end of the story. Thank you keeping up with me. And I thank my new beat again. She writes excellent Harry Potter fics, but she refrains from publishing them. sigh what can I say? Anywho..reviews are always welcome


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